Black Fungus / There was no formula, but in two years, a doctor from Karnataka made a medicine for black fungus

Bengaluru After Corona's havoc, the country has been battling a Mucoramycosis or Black Fungus epidemic. The lack of medication used in its treatment is proving fatal for many patients. The liposomal amphotericin B drug is life-threatening for patients struggling with fungal infections. The drug has been present in the market for a long time and has been used in the treatment of mucoramycosis, but conditions that precipitated the corona made the rare disease black fungus epidemic. B. for the manufacture of this drug in India. Srikantha Annappa b. Credit goes to Pai, who started manufacturing the drug indigenously from 2010-11.

B. ten years ago. Srikantha Annappa Pai was the head of the research and development department at Mumbai-based Bharat Serum Company. Now that liposomal amphotericin B drugs are proving life-threatening to people, B. Pai feels obliged to himself. He belongs to Gangolli village of Kundapura taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka. B. from Government Pharmacy College in Bengaluru district. B. after studying forma. Pai completed his Masters from Manipal University. B. Pai says, "After studying, the job opportunities in Karnataka were not much better. So I moved to Mumbai and stayed near my sister and started looking for a job. After giving many interviews, a job opportunity in Bharat Serum met."

B. Pai worked at Bharat Serum for 17 years. The American company Gilead Sciences had a patent for a drug used to treat black fungal infections. The company's patent expired in 2008. At that time India did not have the facilities for better technology and equipment, so research and development was needed to make medicine. In such a situation, it took 2 years for Bharat Serum to develop its medicine. There was no SOP to reprogram the liposomal amphotericin B drug, the company shared only the basic formula for making this drug and they could only tell if the drug was made right.

B. Pai said, "So we had to do a whole lot of research and then we came to the level of clinical trial phase. Before the trial we also had to get permission from FDA and European Medical Agency and then in 2010-11 the drug was finally released." . '

Liposomal amphotericin B explaining the drug and its effects b. "Mucoramycosis primarily targets the lungs, liver, and spleen. Amphotericin B is the main source of injections used to treat the disease, which is readily available in the market," says Pai. He said that 4 different varieties of injections have been developed. First injection is a conventional product. Second liposomal amphotericin injection, which is 75% more effective than normal injection. The third is lipid complex injection, which is 20 times more effective than the second injection. The last injection is an amphotericin emulsion, which is 150 times more effective than a normal injection.

Explain that B for lipid complex and amphotericin. Pai has taken a patent in his name. In addition to this, he has 16 other patents to his name, including those drugs used as a protocol medicine when anesthesia is given during surgery. B. After retirement. Pai is living with his family in Mumbai.