Sharks in the pharmaceutical supply chain are stockpiling and black-marketing a key life-saving drug for Covid-19, an India Today TV investigation has found.
Remdesivir, produced by America’s Gilead Sciences, is touted as the best hope for critically-ill coronavirus patients for its ability to shorten recovery times in clinical trials. Gilead has licensed several drug manufacturers in India to make its generic versions.
The undercover investigation has revealed that those who need Remdesivir to keep them alive may not be able to afford it because of its excessive pricing on the black market.
MAKING A KILLING
At a pharmacy in Delhi’s Saket neighbourhood, near a prominent hospital, a vendor named Wasim offered the drug for as high as Rs 45,000 a vial. The generic variant is officially priced at Rs 5,400 per vial. Six vials of 100 mg each are usually recommended for the hospitalised patients for over five days.
The government has restricted supplies of Remdesivir, which prohibits its over-the-counter sale. But Wasim claimed to have stocked the drug and priced it almost nine times the MRP.
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