LIFE OF PAI

Meet Srikanth Pai, the man who helped develop India’s drug of choice to fight the black fungus

- PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR

IN 2011, A TEAM of researchers at the Bharat Serums and Vaccines lab in Mumbai was basking in the afterglow of creating a generic drug to combat life-threatening fungal infections. Little did they know that, a decade later, their drug—liposomal amphotericin B—would be India’s answer to treating the dreaded black fungus (mucormycosis).

Srikanth Annappa Pai, who led the BSV research team, is happy to have helped, but is also concerned. India currently has about 28,252 cases of black fungus, which affects the eyes, nose and eventually the brain of people with a suppressed immune system. The fungal infection is a post-Covid-19 complication, especially found in patients who were administered excessive and early steroids to treat the virus, say experts. The steroids likely led to uncontrolled diabetes. Many have succumbed to the infection, and many others have lost their vision to it.

Worse, a severe shortage of the lifesaving drug has forced the Centre to augment its production and distribution, and also import it. The liposomal amphotericin B injection is out of stock, which has led to hoarding and black-marketing.

Given the huge disease burden and the fact that each patient would require at least 60 vials for a two-week treatment, India will need at least 16.95 lakh vials to treat the existing batch of patients. Notably, states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka are reporting a spike in black fungus cases and are seeking a higher allocation of the drug.

The Centre is in the process of importing 6.8 lakh vials, while ramping up domestic production to 2.55 lakh vials in June compared with 1.63 lakh vials in May.