District-level committees to monitor Remdesivir supply

THE ANTI-VIRAL DRUG WILL NOT BE SOLD TO ANY PERSON, FIRM OR HOSPITAL WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE DISTRICT NODAL OFFICER

AMRITSAR: To ensure regular supply of the Covid drugs amid the second wave of the pandemic in Punjab, the food and drugs administration of the health department on Sunday formed district-level committees to monitor the supply, sale and purchase of Remdesivir.

Remdesivir, an injectable anti-viral, aims to prevent replication of the virus in the infected people. It was manufactured in 2014 to treat Ebola, and has since been used to treat SARS and MERS.

In 2020, the drug was repurposed for Covid treatment and clinical experience has shown that it works best in mildly ill to severe Covid-19 patients.

“To control the misuse of Remdesivir and to ensure its easy availability in government and private hospitals, a “State Remdesivir Injection Monitoring Centre” has been formed. Nodal officers have been designated in each district as a part of monitoring committees, who will keep strict vigil on the supply, sale and purchase of Remdesivir,” said commissionerate of food and drugs administration, Punjab, in a letter.

The letter reads that Remdesivir will not be sold to any person, firm or hospital without prior written consent or permission from the district nodal officer.

In government and private hospitals, the daily usage of the anti-viral drug is over 50 doses, across the state.

The move came a day after a Jalandhar-based doctor and his aide were arrested for black marketing Remdesivir. During a raid, several empty vials of Remdesivir were found at a medical centre, for which no bill of purchase or receipt of patients was produced.

“The state has received the first batch of 3,000 Remdesivir doses from a private firm and we have started distributing it to the district health departments, according to their consumption and Covid patient load. Other stock of 5,000 doses from the same firm is in the pipeline. The Centre has also decided to send another 13,400 doses to Punjab. District-level monitoring teams have been formed to check black marketing and misuse of the drug,”, said Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, state nodal officer for Covid-19.

“No private hospital in Punjab will be allowed to purchase Remdesivir injection directly from the supplier as they will have to take the stock from the district nodal officer, with proper permission and consent form. Also, any Covid-19 patient or their attendant can take the injection from the district health department, after showing Covid-19 test reports or identity proofs.”