Liposomal Amphotericin B, the anti-fungal drug used to treat mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is in acute shortage in the district. The medicine is being manufactured only by a handful of pharmaceutical companies, adding to the problem.
More mucormycosis cases has been reported among COVID-19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic. So far, around 20 cases of suspected mucormycosis have been identified in Tiruchi, a senior health official said. “Per day, we get only around one or two. And none of them have been severely affected so far,” they said.
Speaking to The Hindu, T.N. Janakiram, Skull Base Surgeon, Royal Pearl Hospital said that impure water being used in oxygen concentrators, repeatedly wearing the same face masks without washing them, causing sedimentation of droplets and formation of spores, and uncontrolled administration of steroids to COVID-19 patients are common causes for the spike in mucormycosis cases.
A senior doctor at the Tiruchi Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital said that there was no treatment for mucormycosis except removal of the fungal formation through endoscopic debridement and controlling it through anti-fungal drugs. “Post-COVID, a patient needs to regularly monitor his blood sugar and rush to an ENT specialist if he has regular headaches, nasal block and watering of eyes,” the doctor said.
The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation has taken over the sale of Liposomal Amphotericin B, and hospitals can purchase it directly from its warehouses.
Dr. Janakiram is of the opinion that the government must take severe action on those selling the antifungal drug- Liposomal Amphotericin B in the black market. “The maximum retail price of the drug is around ₹5,000 per dose, and around six doses are to be given. However, I have patients who say sellers tried to sell it to them for up to ₹2 lakh for each dose,” he said.
While cases of mucormycosis are not too high in Tiruchi, Dr. Janakiram said that the cases are bound to increase over the next few months. “We are just past the peak in some parts of Tamil Nadu and mucormycosis is a post-COVID condition. However, with adequate supply of drugs and patients who keep an eye for the symptoms, it can be controlled,” he said.
