IIT-Hyderabad finds long acting oral tablet for infection

Hyderabad: Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) researchers have developed a method to produce controlled-release oral tablets for treating fungal infections and leishmaniasis or black fever.

According to the IIT-H research team, their tablets were found to release the drug Amphotericin B in a sustained and controlled manner over a period of 10 days. Amphotericin B (AmB) is the drug of choice for progressive and potentially life-threatening fungal infections of the abdomen and heart valves, fungal pneumonia, and leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease.

AmB is used to treat kala azar or black fever, a dangerous and often fatal form of leishmaniasis, common among the economically underprivileged sections in states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking about the development of the method, the research team said, “In order to make controlled-release oral tablets, the drug molecules must be loaded onto a base that dissolves gradually to release the drug over a period of time.” The research was led by Prof. Saptarshi Majumdar and Dr Chandra Shekhar Sharma, associate professor, Creative and Advanced Research Based On Nanomaterials Laboratory, department of chemical engineering, IIT Hyderabad.

The team’s work has been published in the July issue of the reputed peer-reviewed journal Nano-Structures and Nano-Objects. The paper has been co-authored by Dr Anindita Laha, Ms Mrunalini Gaydhane.