As many states face a shortage in Remdesivir, a drug administered for the treatment of COVID-19, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Director, Dr Randeep Guleria explained the 'right time and right usage' of the drug.
"It's important to understand that Remdesivir isn't magic bullet & isn't a drug that decreases mortality. We may use it as we don't have an anti-viral drug", said Dr Guleria.
Remdesivir should only be given to patients who are hospitalised, had a fall in oxygen saturation and have infiltrates on the chest X-ray or CT-scan, explained the AIIMS Director, as quoted by ANI.
Track this LIVE blog for the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic
He further stated that it is of no use if given early to asymptomatic individuals or patients with mild symptoms. It is also of no use if administered late.
India reported its highest-ever single-day spike of COVID-19 cases with over 2.73 lakh new cases and more than 1,600 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry on April 19.
In the second wave of cases, many states have been facing an acute shortage of Remedersivr and pharma companies have been put under immense pressure to ramp up their production.
Explained: Reasons behind Remdesivir shortage and what government is doing about it
Biocon's Kiran Majumdar Shaw, speaking to Moneycontrol, said that the last week was very challenging as there was a sudden surge of demand and it was difficult to meet it out. She said that by the second week of May there will be an abundant supply of Remdesivir in the country. As far as Itolizumab and Tocilizumab are concerned, by end of May, early June an adequate supply will be there to cater to the market.
A Zydus Cadila spokesperson, to PTI, said, "The current spike in COVID-19 cases has led to a higher demand of Remdesivir. We are currently producing Remdesivir at three of our facilities. To cater to the demand we have ramped up our production from the earlier 5-6 lakh vials a month to 10-12 lakh vials a month, which we will scale towards 20 lakh vials a month.”
In view of a sudden spike in demand due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, India banned the export of injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) till the situation improves.
Seven Indian companies are producing the injection under a voluntary licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, USA. They have an installed capacity of about 38.80 lakh units per month, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had said.
Click here for Moneycontrol’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
