NEW DELHI: With a surge in coronavirus cases, Remdesivir injections are currently in high demand in the country even though experts have underlined its limited scope in treating COVID-19 patients. As India faces a COVID emergency, there are some people in the country who are seeking to make a profit out of the misery of the common people.


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Remdesivir, a drug that is said to be effective in the treatment of coronavirus, remains out of reach of the people who need it as some black marketeers in the country are hoarding its stocks. This has led to a shortage of the drug.


Amid all this, fake Remdesivir drug is also being supplied in the market and innocent people are being duped of their money. Remdesivir, which normally costs between Rs 899 and Rs 5400 for a vial, is currently being sold at Rs 20,000 illegally in the market. 


At this time IPS officer Monika Bhardwaj, currently serving as DCP (Crime Branch) Delhi Police, has posted some tweets “for educational purposes” detailing how to differentiate genuine Remdesivir from a fake vial.


 



 


The IPS officer has pointed out nine 'errors' present on the package of the fake version of Remdesivir injection that can help differentiate it from the genuine jab.


Here’s how you can differentiate between a genuine Remdesivir and a fake one


1. NO Rx: Fake Remdesivir packages do not have “Rx” written on it just before the name of the injection.


2. Capitalisation error: A capitalisation error in the third line written on the package. The genuine package reads as “100 mg/Vial” while the fake one has “100 mg/vial” written on it.


3. Alignment error: There is alignment error in the brand name of the product. Note the gap on the package of fake and genuine Remdesivir injections. The fake vial has an increased gap.


4. Error in brand name: There is another capitalisation error below the brand name in “Vial/vial” on the fake package.


5.Error in bottom of fake Remdesivir package:  One more capitalisation error is found at the bottom of the front side of the fake Remdesivir package. “For use in” written on the genuine package becomes “for use in” on the fake drug package.


6. Warning label in red: On the back of the box, the “Warning” label is in red on the genuine package. The fake one has a black warning label.


7. Key info missing: Just below the warning label, key information “Covifir [brand name] is manufactured under the licence from Gilead Sciences, Inc” is missing on the fake injection package.


8. Wrong name of drug maker:  There is a capitalisation error in the text identifying the drug-maker, Hetero Labs. The fake Remdesivir package reads India as “india”.


9. Spelling error: There is a spelling error in the full address on the package containing the fake Remdesivir injection. It spells Telangana as “Telagana”.


These simple facts can help in identifying a fake Remdesivir injection from the genuine one. Pointing out these differentiators, Monika Bhardwaj wrote on Twitter:


 “The tweet is for educational purposes. No such complaints received yet,” she further tweeted. 


 



 


Is Remdesivir a magic bullet against COVID-19?


 


The answer is No. According to the Union Health Ministry, it has not been confirmed in any of the researches that this drug cures COVID patients.


Even the World Health Organization (WHO) agrees to this. The WHO has stated that no concrete evidence has been found that Remdesivir is a life-saving drug. The research in this area is still ongoing.


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