Drug trader in Chennai held for selling Remdesivir at inflated price

CHENNAI: A 34-year-old proprietor of a wholesale drug trading entity was arrested on Monday for allegedly selling a Remdesivir injection for Rs 18,000. Civil Supplies CID nabbed the man, identified as G Senguttuvan, the sole proprietor of SGN Pharmaceuticals in Villivakkam.  

The local police, to whom Senguttuvan was handed over, registered an FIR and remanded him in judicial custody.A senior police officer told TNIE that the suspect was carrying out under-the-table transactions. “He is said to have procured vials for Rs  3,500 each through proper channels and was  selling it at a much higher price,” the officer said. The FIR was registered under provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, the sources said, adding that a total of 30 vials were seized. The company has been a dealer of vaccines and life-saving drugs since 2012.