Celon Laboratories comes up with an alternative formulation of Amphotericin B

Hyderabad: City-based Celon Laboratories, a speciality biopharmaceutical manufacturer said on Tuesday that it has launched a new drug-Amphotericin B, for the treatment of Mucormycosis, generally called black fungus.

The Celon Laboratories said that the drug is set to provide the much-needed respite to patients reeling under the severe impact of the second wave of Covid-19 and the resultant black fungus. Amphotericin B is crucial to the treatment of Mucormycosis, of which a sudden resurgence is being witnessed off late among Covid-19 patients, across India. Though Celon has been manufacturing Liposomal Amphotericin B since 2013, market demands were not met due to the unavailability of a critical ingredient sourced from 'Germany-lipoids'. To bypass the bottleneck caused by this sourcing obstacle and increase the production of this medication, Celon developed an alternative, an emulsion-based formulation.

It said that exhaustively developed by Celon's in-house R and D team in a record three weeks, the emulsion-based formulation will provide leading hospitals and Covid-19 treatment centres with increased resources to treat the black fungus. Celon will manufacture 10,000 vials per day, which will ensure relief for 6,000 patients monthly. The new drug will be rolled out in a week's time and it has ingredients comprising of Amphotericin API, soybean oil, egg lecithin, and glycerin and will be priced in the range of Rs 4,000-4,500 per vial.

Celon Labs' managing director, M Nagesh Kumar, said, "Celon Labs is deeply committed to supporting the ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic during this deadly second wave and to save as many lives as possible. The emulsion-based formulation is an ideal alternative to Liposomal Amphotericin B to combat the black fungus. The company will start supplying the domestic market soon."

Further, the chairman of Celon, Hocine Sidi expressed his gratitude to employees for achieving this important milestone saying that Celon Labs has mobilized its talents and expertise to swiftly respond to this pressing medical need. "I am grateful to the team at Celon Labs who have made the launch of Amphotericin B Emulsion possible," he added.