Covid-19 crisis: Made-in-India remdesivir may come by end of June

Gilead’s remdesivir, the only drug with an emergency use authorisation to treat Covid-19 in the US, is expected to be widely available in the Indian market by the end of this month, sources in the know said. The drug may reduce the average time of hospital stay for Covid patients and improve their recovery time.

Currently, the drug is allowed for “restricted emergency use” on severely ill hospitalised Covid patients in India. The antiviral drug may cost around Rs 55,000 for an 11-dose course, or Rs 5,000 per injection — much less than the price of imports from Bangladesh. Domestic pharmaceutical