DCGI Studying Use Of Alternate Drugs Other Than Amphotericin B To Treat Mucormycosis: Report

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is assessing the utilization of substitute drugs to treat the fungal infection mucormycosis as a shortage of Amphotericin B, the medicine commonly used for the infection, has been reported due to the wide spread of the disease.

“In a bid to bridge the gap between demand and supply, while this is the preferred drug, the drug regulator is looking at alternatives especially those drugs which are used to treat Kala Azar. The decision is likely to come soon,” a source close to the developments told the Economic Times.

On the other hand, the central government is also simultaneously contemplating rolling out a clinical management protocol along with the appropriate guidelines for the use of Amphotericin B. The overall idea is to use this drug only in severe cases and employ alternative medicines to treat the lesser severe cases.

Mucormycosis is reported to give rise to organ dysfunction, blindness and turn out to be quite fatal in the absence of timely treatment.

Certain experts also reportedly consider the overuse of steroid whilst treating Covid-19 patients as one of the reasons behind the emergence of black fungus though others believe that diabetic patients are more susceptible to fall prey to the same.