The demand for Remdesivir has gone up in the past week with a sharp increase in the number of infections. Therefore, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday, April 14, that decisions have been taken to increase production and supply and reduce the prices of Remdesivir.
The development comes amid an acute shortage of the drug in the wake of the increased number of coronavirus cases in the country.
The manufacturers of Remdesivir have volunteered to reduce the price of Remdesivir, the anti-viral drug being used in COVID-19 treatment, to less than INR 3,500 by the end of this week. At present, there is no uniform price of Remdesivir, as it ranges between INR 900 and INR 5,000 per vial.
Meanwhile, it was decided that the production of antiviral drug will be ramped up amid reports of shortage and black-marketeering of the drug.
According to reports, there are currently seven manufacturers of Remdesivir who cumulatively produce around 38.80 lakh vials per month. A fast-track approval has been given for seven additional sites having a production capacity of 10 lakh vials per month to six manufacturers. Additional production capacity of 30 lakh vials per month is lined up. This would ramp up the production capacity for manufacturing to around 78 lakh vials per month.
On April 11, the government banned the export of Remdesivir and about 4 lakh vials were immediately diverted for the domestic requirement.
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