Bengaluru, 17th April 2021: Remdesivir injection is being black-marketed in many states amid a shortage of the drug to save the lives of serious corona infection patients. According to medical practitioners and people who buy it, they have to spend between 30 to 40 thousand rupees for injections worth Rs 5,400 (MRP). However, many state governments have capped the price from Rs 1000-1500 per injection.
Remdesivir is used to treat hospitalized corona patients. One patient requires six Remdesivir injections. However, it has been said in much research that this drug is not very effective in the treatment of viral disease.
S Sivakumar, the managing partner of Harsha Hospital and Medical Store in Bengaluru, said that he could not get this medicine from the company or the wholesale dealers.
Sivakumar said, “We have been inquiring for the last 10 days for injections, the company and wholesale dealers say no stock in response.”
Sivakumar also said that he wrote a letter to Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. Seeking a police investigation into black marketing, he said that an injection is being sold in the city for 25 thousand rupees.
He wrote in a letter to the Chief Minister, “It has been brought to my notice that some people are illegally selling these injections in the black market.” For your information, Hetero-Remdesivir Injection: 100mg Injection 20ml, COVIFOR (batch no. REM121003 and manufacturing date: 02/2021, Expiry date: 11/2021), which should be sold for 1500 to 2000 rupees, are being sold at 15 to 25 thousand. So please check and find out about the second batch as well.
The price of these injections differs according to the Company. Hetero injection costs Rs 5,400 while injection of Mylan and Jubilant Company costs Rs 4,700, Reddy Rs 5,400, Cipla costs Rs 4,000 and Zydus costs Rs 899.
Coordinator Mohammad Fahad of the National Students Union of India also shared a similar experience. He said, “I was trying to buy an injection for my friend’s mother. I went to many hospitals but the injections were out of stock. The owner of a medical store gave me a number that could provide this medicine. When I called, he asked for 7500 rupees per dose, which is almost double the price. After a lot of searching, we were able to buy injections on MRP, but when there is no medicine in the hospitals, where did these agents come from?”
Similarly, a family in Bidar had to spend 40 thousand rupees for the injection of Ramdesivir last week. A relative of the patient said on condition of anonymity, “My uncle was COVID positive and he needed this injection. We got the injection from the hospital. But the second, third, and fourth doses were not available in the hospital. So we were asked to contact some private parties, who took 40 thousand rupees for the first injection and 30 thousand rupees for the second, third. We did not get any more injections in the black market, so we had to come to Hyderabad.”
Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, while reacting to the black marketing of Ramdesivir injection. On Thursday Basavaraj Bommai warned strict action against those spreading fake drug shortages news. They said. The government has taken the matter seriously and strict action will be taken against those who try to encash the profits by creating fake shortages. We will monitor supply, storage, and distributions at all levels.
There are also reports of shortages and black-marketing of injection from many other parts of the country.
On Friday, Madhya Pradesh Police arrested drug dealer Vijay Shankar Tripathi from Indore. He is accused of selling fake Ramdesivir injections. About 400 vials of injection have been recovered from his warehouse. In UP, three people have been arrested for black marketing.