Government to import 4.5 lakh vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir amid spike in Covid-19 cases

Faced with shortages, India has placed orders for import of 4.5 lakh vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir with the first consignment of 75,000 vials expected to reach Indian shores on Friday.

Covid-19 patients across the country were scrambling for the anti-viral drug Remdesivir, which is administered in the early days of the infection in hospital settings.

The Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers said HLL Lifecare Ltd, a central PSU, has ordered 4,50,000 vials of Remdesivir from M/s Gilead Sciences Inc USA and Egyptian Pharma Company, M/s Eva Pharma.

It is expected that Gilead Sciences will dispatch 75,000 to 1,00,000 vials in the next one or two days, the ministry said.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Further one lakh vials will also be supplied before or by May 15, an official statement said.

The government has started importing the vital drug from other countries to ease its shortage in the country, it said.

EVA Pharma will supply around 10,000 vials initially followed by 50,000 vials every 15 days or till July.

Also read: What we know about the Indian variant as coronavirus sweeps South Asia

The Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry said it has also ramped up the production capacity of Remdesivir in the country.

As on April 27, the production capacity of the seven licensed domestic manufacturers has increased from 38 lakh vials per month to 1.03 crore vials per month, it said.

Besides, a total 13.73 lakh vials have been supplied across the country by the drug companies in the last seven days (April 21-28). The daily supply has gone up from 67,900 vials on April 11 to 2.09 lakh vials on April 28, it added.

An advisory was also issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to states and union territories to facilitate smooth movement of Remdesivir supplies, the ministry noted.

The government has also taken various steps, like ban on exports and customs duty waiver, to enhance the availability of Remdesivir in the country, it said.