Maharashtra is planning to procure 10,000 vials of remdesivir, an anti-viral drug that is being tried globally on patients with severe COVID-19. Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said the drug would be procured with nearly ₹12 crore in CSR funds.
Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum anti-viral injection, was earlier tried for Ebola. It was approved by the Drug Controller-General of India early this week for “restricted emergency use”. Currently, its safety and efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 are being tested in phase-three clinical trials. “We are reaching out to all the companies that have received the licence to make the drug. We will be procuring it from the company that offers it at the lowest rates,” said T.P. Lahane, head of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
The U.S.-based Gilead Sciences that has made the drug has signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with five generic pharmaceutical manufacturers — Cipla Ltd., Ferozsons Laboratories, Hetero Labs Ltd., Jubilant Lifesciences and Mylan — based in India and Pakistan to expand supply of the drug. The company hopes to make it available in July. Two Bangladesh companies have announced production of the generic version of the drug under World Trade Organisation provisions that allow waiver of licences for the least developed countries. Gilead has maintained that it cannot verify the authenticity or effectiveness of a product not manufactured by itself or its licensed partners.
Mr. Tope, however, said the State might consider getting the drug from Bangladesh if Indian companies do not have the required stock.
The COVID-19 task force, appointed by the Maharashtra government, has made four important recommendations to reduce mortality. The recommendations include making remdesivir and another anti-viral drug favipiravir available for patients. While remdesivir has been procured for over 15 patients on compassionate grounds, fast-track trials for favipiravir are under way at many hospitals. The task force has also pushed for wider availability of re-purposed arthritis drug tocilizumab and psoriasis drug itolizumab, which have shown efficacy in reducing cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients. “Additionally, convalescent plasma therapy should be made available widely,” said task force member Dr. Shashank Joshi.