BackRemdesivir quota not being met in Maharashtra: Tope
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday alleged that most pharmaceutical companies are not supplying the mandated quantity of Remdesivir vials to the state
PremiumMaharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday alleged that most pharmaceutical companies are not supplying the mandated quantity of Remdesivir vials to the state.
Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug, is used in the treatment of coronavirus.
“The Union government has fixed the quota of Remdesivir vials to every state. However, most of the pharmaceutical companies are not supplying the vials according to the quantity allocated by the Centre," Tope told reporters over a Facebook live interaction.
Of the total number of Remdesivir vials that the Indian government has received as part of the US aid, Maharashtra has received 53,000 vials, Tope said. “It is the duty of the (Centre’s) department of pharmaceuticals to ensure that Maharashtra gets the supply of Remdesivir as mandated by the Centre," the minister said.
No pharmaceutical company other than Hetero Labs is supplying Remdesivir according to the fixed quota, Tope said.
The Maharashtra government has decided to vaccinate beneficiaries from the 35-44 age group, the minister said. Beneficiaries from the 18-34 age group will be administered doses after adequate supply is available, he said.
“The state is in dire need of oxygen and we are trying to increase the supply of oxygen," Tope said. The state needs 1,700 metric tonnes of oxygen. About 53 metric tonnes is being produced from 38 plants in the state, he said.
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