Deshmukh has directed hospitals to procure Remdesivir from wholesalers and distributors directly as per the needs of the admitted patients, and has directed to ensure the relatives shouldn't be asked to procure the injection from outside.
To ease the trouble of being faced by relatives of Covid-19 patients in getting Remdesivir injections and to put an end to black marketing, Pune District Collector Rajesh Deshmukh has issued directives to suppliers, pharmacists and hospitals about procurement and use of Remdesivir.
Deshmukh has directed hospitals to procure Remdesivir from wholesalers and distributors directly as per the needs of the admitted patients, and has directed to ensure the relatives shouldn’t be asked to procure the injection from outside.
“Hospitals treating Covid-19 patients should procure Remdesivir injections in a number that will last for three days, considering the admitted patients and the genuine need from the distributors, C&F (Carry and Forward) agents of the companies,” reads the order signed by Deshmukh.
Wholesale sellers and C&F agents of companies should provide the injections as per the demand registered by the hospitals or affiliated pharmacies after inspecting the documents. They must preserve the data of the sale of Remdesivir and send it daily to Food and Drug Administration department, it says.
It adds that hospitals should procure Remdesivir for admitted patients on their own and should not ask relatives to obtain the injections. Remdesivir will not be sold to retail pharmacies that are not linked to a Covid-19 hospital.
Earlier on Saturday morning, relatives of Covid-19 patients gheraoed the chemists at Poona Hospital Medical Store after they failed to procure the Remdesivir injections, despite procuring tokens in advance. For the last four days, there has been a huge shortage of Remdesivir in the city, which is seeing the highest ever coronavirus infections for the last few days and a record number of hospitalisations.
While FDA officials had earlier told The Indian Express that the supply had been stabilised, on Saturday, there was a queue of people lining up outside the pharmacy.
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A person whose relative was at a hospital at Sinhagad Road required the injection. Despite collecting tokens on Friday from the Chemists Association after being assured the injection would be given on Saturday, he failed to get the vial.
The Chemists Association of Pune district officials said they did not have a single vial on Saturday morning. To ensure that relatives did not have to run around for Remdesivir injections, they had set up 20 distribution centres in the city. The Food and Drug Administration along with the Chemists Association of Pune district had jointly contributed to this exercise, Anil Belkar, Secretary of the Association said.
“We had set up counters and distributed over 800 vials till yesterday. We have totally run out of stock on Saturday morning and will be going to the FDA office to inquire,” Rohit Karpe, treasurer at the Chemists Association of Pune district told The Indian Express. FDA officials had said they were expecting 11,000 vials.
Belkar said they had given more than 2,000 injections, and distributed the remaining vials on Saturday, amid police bandobast.
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