Centre has ramped up Remdesivir production, anti-viral drug to be sold at reasonable price: Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari had on Thursday visited the Genetic Life Sciences (pharmacy) in Wardha to oversee the production of Remdesivir injections.

Wardha: Amid a huge shortage of vaccines in several states for carrying out the vaccination drive to combat the COVID-19 surge, the Centre has decided to increase the production of anti-viral drug Remdesivir.

This was announced by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday. The Minister said that the Remdesivir drug will be provided to people at a reasonable price fixed by the government.

The announcement came after several cases of black marketing of Remdesivir came to light amid the COVID-19 spike in the country.

केंद्रीय मंत्री श्री @nitin_gadkari जी के सतत प्रयासों से महाराष्ट्र के वर्धा के जेनेटिक लाईफ सायंसेंस में आज से रेमडेसिवीर इजेंक्शन उत्पादन शुरु हुआ। pic.twitter.com/EIoGsVhK2K

— Office Of Nitin Gadkari (@OfficeOfNG) May 6, 2021

"There was a shortage of Remdesivir injection. Because of this, incidents of black marketing took place, several people lost their lives as they have not received Remdesivir, so we decided to increase its production," Gadkari said.

"But we tried (and to got manufacturing rights), Remdesivir will be provided to people at government`s price. Now, I think there will be no black marketing or no person will die due to lack of it, there is no reservation, can be provided to other states when there will be surplus," he added.

Gadkari had on Thursday visited the Genetic Life Sciences (pharmacy) in Wardha to oversee the production of Remdesivir injections.

गडकरी जी ने खुद वर्धा पहुँचकर उत्पादन प्रक्रिया का मुआयना किया। जेनेटिक लाईफ सायंन्सेस रोज तीस हजार रेमडेसिवीर इंजेक्शन का उत्पादन करेगी।
पैटेंट लॅा में संशोधन कर रेमडेसिवीर बनाने वाली जेनेटिक लाईफ सायंसेस पहली कंपनी बनी है। pic.twitter.com/z4bWU45Xny — Office Of Nitin Gadkari (@OfficeOfNG) May 6, 2021

There are currently 35,66,398 active cases in the country, as per Union Health Ministry. 

America’s top public health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci termed India’s current COVID-19 situation ‘very desperate’ and ‘urgent’, adding that the government authorities need to allocate all of their resources, including armed forces, to immediately construct makeshift hospitals for the people.