Anti-fungal drug shortage worries Bihar residents

PATNA: It’s like a never-ending struggle for Covid-19 patients and their relatives. After Remdesivir and oxygen shortages, people are now running from pillar to post for anti-fungal drug Liposomal Amphotericin-B, a key drug to treat mucormycosis or black fungus amid a rapid rise in such cases.
As hospitals are facing an acute shortage of this anti-fungal drug, the doctors are asking families of patients detected with the black fungus disease to arrange the drug from the market.
The medical shops, however, claim that they are out of stock for the past few weeks as the number of mucor cases is increasing in Bihar and the fresh stock has not yet arrived. The shortage has also made way for illegal sales and black marketing.
Kamal Kant (name changed) said his brother recently underwent surgery at a private hospital in Patna after he contracted the black fungus infection only a few days after he recovered from Covid-19. “The hospital management had told us that they don’t have the anti-fungal injection and asked us to arrange 80 vials of Amphotericin- B injection, but it isn't available there in the market. One tout was offering to sell it at Rs 20,000 per injection but we couldn't afford it,” he said.
Dr Sunil Kumar, secretary of Indian Medical Association- Bihar termed ‘black marketing’ as a symbol of fashion in the state. "Two back fungus patients that I know personally are admitted at IGIMS but they did not receive the injection for the last two days as there is no stock available in the hospital. Earlier, Amphotericin- B injection was used to treat resistant cases of Kala Azar and patients who undergone kidney transplants. But the unprecedented rise in mucor cases has triggered the shortage of anti-fungal injection in the market as the demand has plunged,” he said.
He added, “We have already requested the state government to arrange the injection otherwise people will face a shortage of the drug. We are still facing a shortage of common medicines like zinc and vitamin C.”
Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association’s president PK Singh confirmed that there was an acute shortage of Amphotericin- B injection in the market. “The health department is managing the distribution of injection on their own that is why it is not available anywhere in the market. Only two companies are manufacturing this injection but the Centre has given licence to seven more pharmaceutical companies for its production,” he told this newspaper.
Social media is flooded with SoSs for Amphotericin-B injection as people are desperately looking for help to save their dear ones struggling with the black fungus infection.
“My brother-in-law is admitted at Ford Hospital in Patna and the doctors asked us to arrange Amphotericin-B injection, which is ideal for the treatment of mucor. His condition is very critical and he needs injection on a very urgent basis (sic),” Rajesh Kumar tweeted on Sunday.
Deepankar, whose uncle Akhilesh Kumar, has been admitted at Ruban Memorial Hospital, said he needs 12 vials of the anti-fungal drug as the hospital runs out of stock. “I went to different medical shops even the wholesale market in Govind Mitra Road but failed to get it,” he said.