The Karnataka government has issued notices to two pharmaceutical companies - Cipla Ltd and Jubilant Ltd - for failing to supply the requisite quantity of Remdesivir vials as directed by the Centre.
The notices ask the companies to fulfill the supply within 24 hours of their receipt, failing which the state government has warned of legal action under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act and Indian Penal Code.
According to the notices issued by N Manjunath Prasad, Member Secretary, State Executive Committee of the Disaster Management Authority, the Centre on May 1 had directed Cipla to supply 30,000 vials and Jubilant 32,000 vials to Karnataka. They were to be supplied to the state by May 9.
However, Cipla supplied only 10,840 vials and Jubilant supplied only 17,601 vials as on May 8.
The companies have failed to "supply the requisite quantity as directed by the Government of India, which has severely impacted treatment of patients requiring Remdesivir vials in the state," the notice reads.
"..The non-supply of committed number of Remdesivir vials to the state has constrained its capacity to provide timely and effective treatment to the infected persons, thus endangering the lives of the patients," it said.
The companies "must immediately fulfill the supply obligation of Remdesivir vials, as allotted by the government to the state as on today (May 11), within 24 hours of the receipt of this notice. Further, it is directed to provide day to day supply quantity commitments of Remdesivir vials," the notice added.
(Published 11 May 2021, 15:27 IST)
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