Amid rising number of coronavirus cases, Maharashtra government has decided to procure 10,000 vials of the drug Remdesivir for treating patients, Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Saturday. The drug will be provided to the poor and needy patients in the state, Tope added. "GoM (Government of Maharashtra) to procure 10k vials of Remdesivir. Based on evidence from laboratory, animal and clinical studies, it has generated promising results in MERS-CoV and SARS which are also caused by coronavirus," Tope tweeted.
"WHO (World Health Organisation) suggests it may have some positive effects in Covid19 treatment. This expensive medicine is being made available for poor & needy patients," he added.
Meanwhile, India's drug regulator has granted US pharma giant Gilead Sciences marketing authorisation for its antiviral drug Remdesivir for "restricted emergency use" on hospitalised coronavirus patients in view of the crisis posed by the pandemic. The approval process for Remdesivir was accelerated in view of the emergency situation and the unmet need for medicines in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
"The approval process for remdesivir was accelerated by invoking special provisions under the New Drug and Clinical Trial Rules, 2019, which provides for waiver of clinical trials in special circumstances," news agency PTI recently reported citing an unidentified source.
Maharashtra continues to lead the national tally with over 80,000 coronavirus cases.Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Delhi are among the top coronavirus-hit states in the country. As of Saturday, the coronavirus cases in India stand at 236,781 and the death toll stands at 6,649. India is now the sixth most affected country worldwide.
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