‘Check overpricing of Remdesivir by pharma stores’: State BJP chief to Maharashtra govt

Following a surge in Covid-19 cases, pharmaceutical shops are selling Remdesivir injection at a cost higher than that fixed by the state government, said BJP chief Chandrakant Patil. Remdesivir is an expensive drug and is in high demand for critical patients.

In a communication to state health minister Rajesh Tope, the state BJP chief has said: “The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has directed the pharma shops to sell the Remdesivir injection on a profit of 10 per cent. However, it has been found that the FDA directives are not followed by pharma shops, and the patients and their relatives are being demanded a high price for it.”

The demand for Remdisivir had increased after the Covid-19 outbreak in March last year and had led to severe shortage following which its price was reduced, said Patil. “The Covid19 surge has once again led to an increase in the demand of Remdesivir injection. It is being sold at four to five times MRP of the product,” Patil said.

Six doses of Remdisivir are administered to Covid19 patients as a treatment protocol, he said. “It costs around Rs 32,000 for the six doses of Remdesivir as per MRP. However, there is no check by the state government on selling Remdesivir injection by pharma shops and it has added to the sufferings of patients and their relatives.”

Patil urged the state health minister to direct the pharmaceutical industry to provide six injections of Remdesivir at a cost of one dose or make them reduce the MRP of it.

A similar issue had cropped up during the peak of pandemic last year when the hospitals were struggling to get the Remdesivir and were making relatives procure it. The district administration had then made a list of pharma stores that would sell the injection.

The active cases of Covid19 in PMC has reached 13,225 and is inching towards the peak of around 20,000 as witnessed last year.