Sale of Remdesivir in Tamil Nadu closed on Sundays

COIMBATORE: Unaware of the fact that Remdesivir sales was closed on Sundays, many who came to buy the drug at Coimbatore Medical College (CMC) returned disappointed a day after the sale was launched.

A 26-year-old man from Vadavalli said that many people were even seen sleeping on the floor overnight to buy the drug. "I waited at the counter since 4 am, only to find out that the drug would be sold only on Monday," rued another beneficiary. A section of the buyers came from far-flung areas such as Pollachi, Udumalai, and Erode.

Miffed over being turned away, some of the buyers got into arguments with CMC staff for "failure to communicate" the sale window properly. Currently, Remdesivir is sold on all days except Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm at CMC to prevent black marketing of the drug.

Many of the buyers said that the drugs should be sold all days of the week as it is prescribed by many doctors for COVID-19 patients. Later, following the intervention of Coimbatore Medical College Hospital Dean A Nirmala, buyers were issued tokens to buy the drug on Monday.

Nirmala told The New Indian Express that there was adequate stock of Remdesivir at CMC as of now. "We received stock of 500 vials from the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation. On Saturday, around 70 people bought the drug," she said. A vial of Remdesivir costs Rs 1,568 inclusive of the GST.