HC directs Centre to increase Maha’s remdesivir quota

The Bombay High Court on Sunday asked the Central government to increase the supply of Remdesivir injections to Maharashtra observing the current reduction in the allocation of the crucial drug is not consistent with the number of active Covid cases as of May 1. The HC was informed that in the last 10 days, supply to Maharashtra was reduced from 4,30,000 to 3,74,500 vials a day.

A division bench of Justice S.B. Shukre and Justice Avinash Gharote held a special hearing on a bunch of petitions on the shortage of medical oxygen and Remdesivir that is high in demand for treating Covid patients.

The bench said the high court came to know about the reduction in the allocation of Remdesivir to Maharashtra from May 1 to May 9.

The bench observed that such a reduction in the allocation of Remdesivir vials to Maharashtra is not consistent with the number of active cases in the State.

The judges said that the Central government should reconsider and remove the difference as per requirement. The bench noted that for the earlier period of ten days, the allocation was 4,30,000 vials, and the same for the next 10 days is 3,74,500. This means a reduction of 55,500 vials of Remdesivir for Maharashtra.

The judges further said that on April 30, the number of active cases in Maharashtra was 6,72,000 while the same is 6,64,000 as of May 1, which means active cases reduced hardly by about 1.2 per cent, whereas the reduction in the allocation of Remdesivir to Maharashtra for the aforesaid period is by 14.5 per cent.

The court asked the Centre to reconsider its decision regarding the state-wise allocation of Remdesivir for the aforesaid period of ten days (from May 1 to 9) and increase the quota for Maharashtra to make it consistent with the reduced number of active cases.

The bench has also directed Ulhas Aurangabadkar, the Additional Solicitor General India, to take instructions from the Union government on this issue and apprise the court about the same.

With a warning of strict legal action against pharmaceutical companies if court's order was not followed, the high court directed that no pharmaceutical company, which is duty-bound to supply Remdesivir vials as per the Centre’s orders dated April 24 and May 1 to different states and Maharashtra, shall supply the drug to private purchasers unless the daily quota of the supply allocated to each of these companies is fulfilled.