Antifungal drug shortage in India amid an increase in invasive fungal functions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

Following the sudden increase in cases, the current volumes of manufacture by Bharat Serums & Vaccines, BDR Pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharma, Cipla, and Life Care Innovations (companies that currently produce the drugs) are not sufficient to meet the needs of the country. [...]India is more likely to become dependent on imports from companies like the major US pharmaceutical producer Gilead Sciences, which could be significantly delayed.4,5 An added burden amid the distressing situation is the emergence of other invasive fungal infections, such as candidiasis, also referred to as “white fungus,” alongside aspergillosis. In a recent study, nearly all cases of Candida auris were fluconazole resistant, and close to 40% were resistant to amphotericin-B.2 Further increases in drug-resistant fungal infections would prove disastrous in India, where the health system has already been stressed to its maximum capacity by the COVID-19 pandemic.6 The drug resistance that is increasingly occurring in a variety of pathogens especially in the Indian context can be attributed to the widespread and injudicious use of medications prescribed by physicians as well as self-medication among the public.