Government bans export of Remdesivir

With India staring at the second wave of Covid-19 infections, the central government on Sunday prohibited the export of Remdesivir. Used for treating Ebola, the anti-viral drug has proven useful in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

In a press note on Sunday, the Centre prohibited exports of Injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients



(API).

A number of companies in India produce Injection Remdesivir under a voluntary licensing agreement with US pharma giant Gilead Sciences. These companies have the capacity to produce nearly 38.80 lakh units per month.

The central government also said that steps are being taken to ensure that hospitals and Covid-19 patients have easy access to Remdesivir.