Covid-19: Jharkhand seeks Centre's nod to import Remdesivir from Bangladesh

Jharkhand government sought permission from the Centre to import 50,000 vials of the Covid-19 drug from a Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals company

With the increasing demand of Remdesivir for critical patients in Jharkhand, the state government sought permission from the Centre to import 50,000 vials of the COVID-19 drug from a Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals company.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday wrote a letter to Union Cabinet Minister DV Sadanand Gowda asking for permission to import the supply as soon as possible.

"We had anticipated the second wave to be less virulent due to vaccination and herd immunity. But, on the contrary, a large proportion of patients are showing major symptoms and require hospitalisation and other such treatment protocols...Remdesivir is a vital medicine in the treatment protocol of a COVID-19 case. Unfortunately, there is an acute scarcity of the medicine in Jharkhand," read the letter.

The letter further said that the supply from Indian manufacturers fell short of the growing demand for the drug which led it to explore the international market for the medicine.

"Since we could not get the Remdesivir as per our requirement from Indian manufacturers, we started exploring the international market for procuring Remdesivir. We have been able to get a quotation from Bangladesh's Beximo pharmaceuticals for 50,000 vials of the drug which the Jharkhand government is willing to procure at the earliest in light of the pressing needs of the medicine," the letter added.

"In view of the above, I would request you to allow us to import and use the medicine from the said company," the letter concluded.

Earlier on Saturday, Soren urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence to issue necessary instructions for permitting the state government to deploy doctors and paramedics of the CPMFs and Military Hospitals for the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients.