Spurt in black fungus cases leads to 300% rise in demand for antifungal drug Amphotericin

Demand for antifungal drug 'Amphotericin B' saw a 300% growth in a month – from 42,000 vials to 1.36 lakh vials -- owing to an increase in cases of mucormycosis or black fungus in the country.

A rapid increase in cases of mucormycosis, a rare infection seen in patients who are on medication for Covid-19 or recovered from it, resulted in a huge spike in demand for the anti-fungal drug ‘Amphotericin B’. As per data, there was more than 300 per cent rise in demand for an injection of Amphotericin B in the last one month (April-May) as the country grappled with a devastating second wave of Covid-19. Till April 2021, a total of 42,000 vials of Amphotericin B injections were produced and supplied across India each month. In the past one month, the projected demand for the production of the anti-fungal drug shot up to 1.36 lakh vials more than three times more than what had been produced a month ago. Sources in the government, however, added that amid a rise in demand for the anti-fungal drug, the supply of Amphotericin B is being ramped up to 2.55 lakh vials in June.