Remdesivir vials and political injections in Gujarat: Report

Amid the increased demand for remdesivir due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, people reportedly stood in serpentine queues outside a BJP office in Gujarat to receive the drug, otherwise authorised to be sold only by licensed traders.

When Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila ran out of remdesivir stocks on April 9, Gujarat BJP President C R Paatil announced that the BJP would distribute the drug for free, according to a report by The Indian Express, raising criticism especially from Opposition parties over doing politics in the time of crisis.

Also read: India logs nearly 1.7 lakh new Covid-19 cases in a fresh peak, over 900 deaths

“We have made arrangements to buy 5,000 remdesivir injections from Zydus, and have placed orders... Patients from districts in South Gujarat and also from Surat city, who face problems in getting remdesivir injections, can come to the BJP office, show the treatment file, doctor’s number, and other necessary details, which will be verified by our people in the BJP office, and later such injections will be given free of cost to them,” the state party president said.

'Distributing through BJP'

“Some of our friends from Surat city have bought these injections and we are distributing them through the BJP. We are only supplementing the distribution. The state government has its own arrangement…” Paatil reportedly said.

Commenting on the issue, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that the distribution organised by BJP is different from the arrangements made by the state government.

“Concerned about Surat, C R Paatil has arranged for 5,000 remdesivir injections. How he made those arrangements, it is better to ask him for a proper answer... This has no connection with the stocks we have sent (for Surat)… Not a single injection has been given from government stocks,” the Chief Minister was quoted as saying.

Rupani also appealed to people not to buy remdesivir injections out of panic amid complaints of the shortage of remdesivir drug.

Also Read: Amid Covid-19 surge, 3 jumbo hospitals to come up in Mumbai soon

The report added that Congress MLA from Gandhinagar C J Chavda in a letter to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs Control Administration demanded 2,500 remdesivir injections be made available to him for distribution in his Assembly constituency.

“I wrote the letter because if BJP president C R Paatil can collect remdesivir injections for distribution in Surat, why can’t I do the same for my constituency?” Chavda said.

Remdesivir can only be sold based on a prescription and only licenced pharmacists are allowed to stock and supply it after informed consent of the patient

'Investigational therapy'

The Union health ministry in its 'Clinical Management Protocols for Covid-19' has recommended the use of remdesivir in Covid-19 patients in the moderate stages of the illness. The drug has been included as an "investigational therapy" and recommended only for restricted emergency use purposes.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Several companies in India, such as Dr Reddy's and Zydus Cadila among others have been granted permission by the DCGI to manufacture and market remdesivir for "restricted emergency use" on hospitalised Covid-19 patients. The drug is administered in the form of an injection.

India, last week, banned the export of remdesivir as India's Covid-19 surge worsens each day. Both vaccines and remdesivir are currently in short supply.

(With PTI inputs)