NEW DELHI: Very soon, 3
lakh vials
of
Remdesivir will be produced per day, said
Union
minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday.
He said the government is leaving no stone unturned to supply the medicine amid a surge in Covid-19 cases.
"Production of Remdesivir will be increased up to 90 lakhs vials per month. Earlier the production capacity was 40 lakhs vials per month," Mandaviya said in a tweet.
With a massive spike in Covid-19 cases, demand for Remdesivir has gone up manifold in the country.
The government is monitoring the situation on a daily basis and doing all that needs to be done to increase the supply of the drug in the country, he added.
On April 11, in view of increased demand for Remdesivir, the Centre banned the export of the injection and its APIs till the situation improves.
Earlier, this week, the government had waived customs duty on Remdesivir, its raw materials and other components used to make the antiviral drug in order to help augment domestic availability and reduce the cost of the injection.
The Centre on Wednesday had announced that the production capacity of Remdesivir injections is being ramped up from the current level of 38 lakh vials per month to 74 lakh vials per month.
It had also said that 20 additional manufacturing sites have been approved.
The
Union health ministry
in coordination with the
Department of Pharmaceuticals
has made an interim allocation of Remdesivir for 19 states and
Union territories
(UTs) for the period up to April 30, to further address reports of shortage of the drug in certain regions of the country and facilitate its smooth inter-state supply.