Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda today announced that the additional 29,250 vials of Amphotericin- B drug, used in treatment of Mucormycosis, have been allocated to all the States/UTs today.
Earlier, additional 19,420 vials of Amphotericin- B were allocated on May 24 and 23,680 vials of the drug were supplied across the country on May 21.
India has seen a significant rise in the cases of mucormycosis or black fungus, which has dramatically increased the demand for Amphotericin B injection.
Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that mainly affects people who are on medication for other health problems that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens.
The latest government data shows India has 11,717 cases of Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh account for maximum number of black fungus cases.
About 42,000 vials of injection were produced in the country in April. Considering the sharp rise in demand for injections, the government had stepped in to increase the production.
The Centre has licensed five more manufacturers, including Natco Pharmaceuticals and Alembic Pharmaceuticals, to produce Amphotericin-B. These companies will start producing 1,11,000 vials of Amphotericin-B per month from July 2021.
Meanwhile, India has recorded less than 3 lakh daily new cases for 10 consecutive days now as 2,08,921 fresh cases were registered in the last 24 hours. The active caseload has also now reduced to 24,95,591.