Remdesivir Shortage Creates Chaos But Drug Being Sold On OLX; MP Man Nabbed With 400 'Fake' Injections

Remdisivir is being 'sold' online and malpractices in selling the Coronavirus treatment drug are also being reported. Read on.

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New Delhi: Amid the second wave of the Coronavirus crisis in India, the demand for associated treatment and medicines has gone up to the point that there are concerns regarding black-marketing and fraudulent practices. Besides the shortage of hospital beds, there are reports of antiviral drug Remdesivir being difficult to access.

While certain advertisements claiming to sell Remdesivir can be spotted online, police are arresting those selling fake vials of it.

A simple search on the online retail website reveals some advertisements of Remdesivir that sellers from Panipat, Amroha, and Pune are claiming to sell. Previously, there were reports of an ad on the portal selling the antiviral doses for an amount of Rs 6,000 - which appears to have been removed.

These ads are most likely fake and people are advised to not fall for fraudulent practices which are not only limited to the online space. Even in the real world, people are exploiting the crisis to earn money by selling fake doses. 

The owner of a pharmaceutical company in Madhya Pradesh's Indore was arrested yesterday for allegedly selling fake Remdesivir injections. 400 such injections have been seized from his possession.

Meanwhile, the Union government is assuring the citizens that all steps required are being taken to accelerate the production of antiviral drug Remdesivir and ensure its availability in the country.

Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister DV Sadananda Gowda said that a total of 6.69 lakh vials of the drug have been made available to different states and union territories during the last five days.

"Government is taking every necessary step to accelerate the production facilities of Remdesivir, it's capacity enhancement & availability", Gowda wrote in a tweet.

In another tweet, the minister said: "On Government's intervention, major Manufacturers of Remdesivir have voluntarily reduced its Price ranging from Rs 5,400 to less than Rs 3,500 by 15.04.2021".

The production has gone up from 28 lakh vials per month to 41 lakh vials per month during the last week, he added informing that Remdesivir is also placed under an Export ban w.e.f 11.04.2021 to increase supply in the domestic market.

Previously, enforcement authorities of states and central government have been directed by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to take immediate action on the reports of black-marketing, hoarding and overcharging of the Covid medicine.