The situation in the country is uncontrolled by the second wave of the Corona epidemic. In hospitals, where oxygen and beds have fallen short, medicines like Remdesivir have disappeared from the market.
The situation is that people are fiercely black marketing this injection.
In such a situation, the government has taken a big step to meet its shortfall. The government has decided to import 4.50 lakh vials of Remdesivir, and all preparations have been made.
Why does Remdesivir need it?
Remdesivir is an effective anti-viral drug against the virus spreading the corona epidemic. In October last year, it was approved to use corona treatment in the US. It was the first drug to get such approval.
This injectable drug helps the corona infected to recover quickly. However, doctors recommend its use to patients only after performing several tests.
Remdesivir’s shortage came due to sudden demand.
The companies producing Remdesivir say that from December to March, Corona had ceased production or had little because of the declining cases.
Then in February, the sudden surge of cases of infection in the country suddenly increased its demand.
In such a situation, its scarcity started in the market. The status became such that people started stocking it and then started its black marketing.
The central government prohibits the export of Remdesivir
Because of the record increase in infection cases and the shortage of Remdesivir, the government banned its exports on 11 April. According to the government, the ban on the export of Remdesivir injection will continue until the infection situation in the country stabilises.
According to Hindustan Times, the Indian government-owned company HLL Lifecare Limited has ordered Gilead Sciences Inc. of America and Eva Pharma of Egypt to manufacture 4.50 vials of Remdesivir. The first consignment of 75,000 vials from the US is expected to reach India on Friday.
Similarly, 25,000 vials will reach India in the next one to two days. With their arrival, there will be a slight decrease in the ongoing shortage in India.
The central government increased the production capacity of Remdesivir
The government has increased the production capacity of Remdesivir in the country. As of 27 April, the production capacity of seven licensed domestic manufacturers has increased from 38 lakh vials per month to 1.03 crore vials per month.
In the last seven days, a total of 13.73 lakh vials have been supplied by drug companies across the country.
On 11 April, where the daily supply was only 67,900, on 28 April, it increased to 2.09 lakh vials.
On April 17, the government had fixed the price of Rs 3,500 for Remdesivir.
Explain that NPPA released the revised maximum retail price on 17 April to ensure the profitability of the injection among the public. Due to which the cost of all major brands came down to Rs 3,500 per bottle.
Gilead Sciences Announces Donation of 4.50 Lakh Vials to India
Earlier on Tuesday, American pharma company Gilead Sciences announced a donation of 4.50 lakh Remdesivir vials to India.
Apart from this, it also announced providing technical assistance to its voluntary licensing partners to increase its production in India.
Explain that Gilead Sciences has seven licensing partners in India. In such a situation, with the company’s help, they can accelerate the production of Remdesivir more than expected.
Government and doctors had expressed concern over the increasing use of Remdesivir.
Recently, the government and medical experts had expressed concern over the increasing use of Remdesivir.
Dr Naresh Gupta, director-professor at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), Delhi, had said, “Remdesivir also has serious side effects. It is not a drug intended to treat corona. It is a drug against the virus. However, it can also be used against corona. Like other drugs, Remdesivir also has side effects and can be fatal.”