Amid rise in Covid cases, Centre prohibits exports of Remdesivir

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ In view of increased demand for remdesivir due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre on Sunday said the export of the antiviral injection and its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients has been banned till the situation improves.

In addition, to ensure easy access of the drug, which is used in treatment of coronavirus, to hospitals and patients, all domestic manufacturers of Remdesivir have been advised to display on their website details of their stockists and distributors, the Union health ministry said.

Drugs inspectors and other officers have been directed to verify stocks, check malpractices and also take other effective actions to curb hoarding and black marketing. State health secretaries will review this along with drug inspectors of the respective states and UTs, it said.

“India is witnessing a recent surge in COVID cases. As on April 11, there are 11.08 lakh active cases and they are steadily increasing. This has led to a sudden spike in demand for remdesivir injection used in treatment of COVID patients,” the ministry said.