Centre ramps up Remdesivir production to 74 lakh vials per month, as demand surges

The Central government announced that production capacity of Remdesivir will be ramped up from a current level of 38 lakh vials per month to 74 lakh vials per month.

New Delhi: The Central government acted on Remdesivir shortage crisis in certain regions by announcing that production capacity of the anti-viral drug will be ramped up from a current level of 38 lakh vials per month to 74 lakh vials per month.

The Union Health Ministry in a statement said that the manufacturing capacity of domestic Remdesivir manufacturers has been ramped up keeping the sudden surge in demand in the country for COVID-19 therapy in mind, It also said all support is being extended to manufacturers by the government in this endeavour.

"The production capacity is being ramped up from a current level of 38 lakh vials per month to 74 lakh vials per month, and 20 additional manufacturing sites have been approved. Export of Remdesivir has also been prohibited on April 11 in order to shore up domestic supplies," the press note read.

#Unite2FightCorona

Union Government allocates supply of #Remdesivir to 19 States/UTs with High Burden of COVID cases.

Manufacturers mapped to States to smoothen the Supply Chain.

NPPA and National Regulator to monitor movement & demand. https://t.co/CvsD2dCcBm pic.twitter.com/nDAkxenDeU — Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 21, 2021

Manufacturers have been directed to manufacture and dispatch the supplies as per the agreed state allocation and mapping. They may be asked to balance supplies to the government and distribution channels.

Also, interim allocation of the key drug has been made for 19 states/Union Territories for the period up to April 30. 

It is for states like Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand.

States not covered by the above-mentioned allocation will be considered for allocation when their supply orders are placed with the manufacturers.

A Control Room set up by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) shall be responsible for monitoring the operations as per the allocations. A Whatsapp group comprising nodal officers of states to coordinate unhindered movement of Remdesivir within the country is also being created.

"Liaison Officers of the Remdesivir manufacturers and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dept of Pharmaceuticals, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) would be part of this Group for day to day monitoring and coordination," the Ministry said.

Meanwhile, India recorded 2,95,041 new coronavirus cases and 2,023 deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest ever. The country's total tally has now climbed to 1.56 crore (1,56,16,130), of which, 21.57 lakh (21,57,538) are active cases. India has also witnessed 1.82 lakh (1,82,553) coronavirus-related deaths.