Maharashtra government sets up Distric-level control rooms for supply of Remdesivir

Concerned with incidents of hoarding and black-marketing of Remdesivir, the Maharashtra government has set up district-level control rooms to ensure smooth supply of the broad-spectrum anti-viral drug being prescribed for treatment of Remdesivir.

Maharashtra’s commissioner of health services Dr Ramaswami N, who is also the mission director of National Health Mission has written to all the district collectors to set up control rooms.

The state is facing multiple issues on Remdesivir – a massive demand supply gap, hoarding and black-marketing by stockists and pharmacy shops, the unaffordable prices and irrational prescription by certain doctors.

Read | 'Need for licence for generic production of Remdesivir'

There have been multiple protests on this issue and there were apprehensions of law and order situation.

At several places, people were seen standing in queues for hours to get Remdesivir in places like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur – and often did not get it.

Over the last week, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has reviewed the situation with public health and family welfare minister Rajesh Tope, medical education minister Amit Deshmukh and food and drug administration minister Dr Rajendra Shingne and urban development minister Eknath Shinde on the issue.

Read | Flying squads fanned out to check Remdesivir stock in Mumbai

“We have decided to set up district-level control rooms,” Tope said.

The government is working to decide on a price band of Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,400 per injection and has asked the dozen-odd pharmaceutical companies manufacturing Remdesivir to ramp-up production.

The government has asked the commissioner of health services to put in place a separate mechanism to streamline the supply of Remdesivir in the wake of rise in its demand due to rising Covid-19 second wave.

Dr Ramaswami has also directed the FDA to contact the state-level control room and take appropriate action if needed.