Additional 45,000 vials of tocilizumab allocated to states: Gowda

Union Minister Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said additional 45,000 vials of tocilizumab, used for treatment of COVID-19, have been allocated to states and union territories to meet the increased demand.

Earlier, 9,900 vials of tocilizumab were allocated to states and union territories on April 30, the chemicals and fertilizers minister added.

Tocilizumab is not manufactured in India and is sourced from Swiss pharmaceutical firm Hoffman La Roche, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said.

"Additional 45000 vials of #Tocilizumab have been allocated to States/UTs to meet its demand across country. Earlier, 9900 vials of the drug were made to all States on 30th April," Gowda tweeted.

Besides these two allocations, another 50,024 vials were allotted to states on Monday, he added.

In a goodwill gesture, Roche donated around 50,000 vials (80 mg strength) for COVID-19 patients in India through Indian Red Cross Society on May 10, which has been allocated by the Government of India to states/UTs and central government hospitals, the ministry said in a statement.

The state governments have been advised to widely publicise the mechanism of allotment of this drug to the general public so that the needy patients and private hospitals can approach the concerned authorities of the state if they require the drug, it added.

"The states have also been advised to take all measures to prevent hoarding and black marketing and ensure that the drug is used very judiciously and strictly as per the national clinical management protocol for Covid-19 patients," the ministry said.