Struggle to buy black fungus drug after lowest bidder turns out to be an Indian firm

India has banned the export of the drug since June 1. The price quoted by the second lowest bidder is nearly double the lowest bidder’s, putting Nepali officials in a fix.

The government’s effort to purchase 10,000 vials of Liposomal Amphotericin B, the main drug used to treat mucormycosis, a rare fungal infection commonly known as ‘black fungus’, has faced a roadblock after an Indian company emerged as the lowest bidder amid an export ban on the drug by India.