Nagpur: With Covid-19 playing havoc in Second Capital and the shortage or blackmarketing of Remdesivir, the life saving injection given to serious positive patients, the District Administration has banned its retail sale through pharmacies to regulate availability of the drug.
Faced with the shortage of the vital injection, manufactured by six companies, and in the city, about five to six wholesalers dealing with supply for each of the companies, the said step was invoked to ensure that hospitals do not run short of the medicine. Due to widespread use of Remdesivir in the backdrop of sharp rise in infections of novel coronavirus, the stock is depleting fast and supplies are not keeping up with demand. After taking stock, the District Collector Ravindra Thakare on Tuesday night issued an order about banning retail sale of Remdesivir injections. Now the stockists are directed to provide the said injections to Designated Covid Hospitals or the pharmacy attached to such hospitals.
Thakare, in the order, said he is invoking power vested him as Chairman, District Disaster Management Committee under Sections 2, 3 and 4 of Epidemic Diseases Control Act 1897 and Maharashtra COVID-19 Rules 2020 and Disaster Management Act 2005 to ensure that there is no shortage of Remdesivir at COVID Hospitals. Similarly, Collector also nominated Shekhar Gadge, Sub Divisional Officer, Nagpur (City), and Pushhas Ballal, Assistant Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Nagpur, to keep a watch and ensure that there is no shortage of Remdesivir in city and rural COVID hospitals. The two officers are to keep watch on procurement from companies and distribution of injections.
