Govt approves increase in Remdesivir production, reduction in prices

New Delhi: The Central government has approved an increase in production and supply and reduction in prices of anti-viral drug Remdesivir, being used in treating Covid-infected patients, an official release said here on Wednesday.

As per the release, Mansukh Mandaviya, Chemicals & Fertilisers minister has reviewed the availability of Remdesivir and in a meeting with all-existing manufacturers of the Remdesivir drug and other stakeholders, approval was given for seven additional sites for the production of 10 Lakh vials per month.

Currently, India is producing 38.80 lakh vials of Remdesivir every month through seven manufactures.

During the meeting, manufacturers of Remdesivir have volunteered to reduce the price of the drug to less than Rs 3,500 by the end of this week, the release said.

As the cases of Covid-19 are rising day-by-day, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have started reporting a shortage of Remdesivir.

In view of the scarcity, the Directorate of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued an order prohibiting the export of Remdesivir and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) required in its production until further notice.

Remdesivir, an injectable anti-viral, was manufactured in 2014 to treat Ebola. It has since been used to treat SARS and MERS.

In 2020, it was reintroduced for Covid treatment. As per the clinical experience, the drug works best in mildly ill patients, and in the early stages of hospitalisation. (UNI)