The medical trio of Dr N A Kshirsagar at KEM Hospital and Seth G S Medical College, Mumbai, Dr J N Verma at Lifecare Innovations, Delhi and Prof. B K Bachhawat, Dept. of Biochemistry, University of Delhi have indigenously developed, Fungisome, a Liposomal drug delivery system for Amphotericin B, an antifungal agent.
Fungisome, which is cheaper and more effective than its imported counterparts, was launched recently at the National Biotechnology Day function held in Delhi here recently.
Amphotericin B has long been the drug of choice for life-threatening fungal infections, of the kind found in immuno-compromised patients, diabetics, AIDS victims and Cancer and organ transplant patients. It is also used for Kala Azar, a serious disease, endemic in Northern India and caused by the bite of the sandfly. However, its ability to kill disease is often offset by its severe side effects.
By the time the drug has entered the body, traveled the bloodstream and reached the site of infection, toxic effects like fever and chills, kidney damage and severe breathing difficulty manifest. It has even been called 'Amphoter-rible' for this propensity to cause havoc in the patient's body.
"In order to surmount this difficulty and make sure the drug did more good than harm, it was found that wrapping the drug's molecules into microscopic fat globules and then introducing them into the bloodstream did a much more efficient job", says Dr Nilima Kshirsagar, who was closely associated with the clinical trials on the drug for more than two years.
Ensconed within the confines of these 'Liposomes', Amphotericin B is unable to come in contact with other cells during its journey through the body and thus its side effects cannot come to the fore. "The liposome's are subsequently taken up by defence cells, which carry the medicine to the site of infection. This ensures a full and adequate dose of treatment, without having to worry about side effects and toxicity", said Dr Kshirsagar.
Emphasizing on the efficacy of the drug she said, "It has proved time and again to be a saviour for patients battling extensive and aggressive infections. Fungisome's journey from lab to patient has been equally impressive. Using state of the art techniques and careful fine-tuning with regards dosage and composition, it has effortlessly passed through rigorous animal and human testing schedules to now become available in the market", claimed Dr Kshirsagar.
According to her, the new development would now be required to be infused into the body for a mere 5 days, at an hour per day. This is a significant reduction as compared to the earlier regimen of a 6-hour drip being injected into the patient everyday for 3 weeks. Its safety is underlined by the fact that it can even be given to newborn babies.
This revolutionary new medication is sure to make the treatment of life-threatening infections just that little bit easier to tolerate for the patient; and the decision to use toxic yet essential drugs more straightforward for the physician.