Not just Remdesivir, common viral drugs also getting scarcer

Besides the shortage of oxygen and the Remdesivir drug, the city could also be staring at a severe shortfall of other Covid-related drugs like Fabiflu and Favipiravir.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Chemists’ and Druggists’ Association is reporting that demand for these drugs is outgrowing their supply. If the situation persists, the shortage could become more acute.

“There is definitely a shortage of Fabiflu, Favipiravir and even Tamiflu across Bengaluru,” said the association president, M K Mayanna. “The supply is irregular and it’s getting difficult for the pharmacists to even obtain a single sheet of these tablets.”

Used in treating viral infections like the flu, these drugs have almost exclusively been pressed into treating Covid-19, a reason for their spiralling demand and why druggists are finding it harder to fulfil it.

Specifically, two of the drugs helps reduce the viral load in the body, said senior pharmacist Mahesh, who runs Yasho Pharma on Residency Road. “Instead of the virus taking control of the body, these drugs help the body control the virus”, he explained.

With the spiralling Covid-19 cases, these drugs are rapidly flying off the shelf, Mahesh said. “Up until March, we used to sell two to three sheets of these tablets in a week, but now a stock of 25 sheets does not even last a day. For now, I still have these drugs available at my store, but in the coming days, there might be a shortage if cases increase” he added.

Evident to the fact, Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy tweeted that she was unable to get sheets of these drugs in a few parts of Bengaluru South. Shortage of these drugs is has been reported from across the country.

Pharmacists said some people were getting prescriptions from local clinics and transporting the drugs to Maharashtra, where the stocks were scarcer.