Simply phenomenal! IIT Hyderabad develops oral drug to treat ‘black fungus'

Hyderabad, May 31:  Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad has developed oral tablets of Amphotericin B (AmB) to treat Black Fungus. With that IIT has brought major relief amid the time when the fungal infection is spreading widely in the country.

 

This was a first-ever attempt to fabricate nanofibrous oral tablets of amphotericin B for the potential cure of kala-azar or leishmaniasis. IIT further said that it is ready to transfer the technology to suitable pharma partners for large-scale production of medicine in the country.

 

 

In the press release, IIT said, "Prof. Saptarshi Majumdar and Dr.Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering have made a proven study about oral nanofibrous AMB to be effective for Kala Azar (visceral leishmaniasis)."

 

 

 

 

The oral tablets are patient-friendly, its slow and sustained release in the body reduces nephrotoxicity (adverse impact of medicines and chemicals on the kidney.) It can be priced only at Rs 200.

 

 

 

 

“With the two years of advancement of examination, the researchers are now confident that the technology can be transferred to suitable pharma partners for large-scale production. At present, the Kala-Azar treatment is being used as a treatment for Black and other Fungus in the country and its availability and affordability make it need to allow emergency and immediate trial of this oral drug," IIT-H said.

 

 

It should be mentioned that AmB is an injectable drug that is used to treat fungal infections. A single vial of 50 mg costs nearly Rs 4,000 and a patient requires up to 60-100 vials for treatment. The newly developed oral drug can become a lifeline for thousands of patients suffering from black fungus and other fungal infections around the world.

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