The COVID crisis is consuming thousands of Indians every day. There is panic and sense of helplessness everywhere. Amidst all this, there is never ending demand for a drug by name Remdesivir. What is this drug all about and will it really help curing or meaningfully treating COVID patients? It’s a question posed to many healthcare experts and the responses are mixed with a sense of optimism and clear denial of any scientific evidence. No matter what the experts say, there is a huge demand for Remdesivir in India. Pharmaceutical distributors and dealers have been receiving hundreds of frantic calls on a daily basis. Even the social media posts are flooded with thousands of requests for leads or referrals. It is therefore important to objectively understand why there is such a demand for it and how it can be addressed amidst the growing panic.
Manufacturing of Viral Vectors
for Gene Therapies
It is an antiviral medication which is indicated in treating adult patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Only hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 infection are eligible for this. Patients above 12 years fit into the age criterion and patients over 40 kilograms would fit into the weight criterion for the physicians to consider this drug. The original purpose of this drug was for the treatment of Hepatitis C. It was also studied for its efficacy in treating Ebola virus disease. As per the US FDA, Remdesivir is first in class medication. Gilead is the company responsible for developing this drug and there are many generic manufacturers in India at present. Cipla, Hetero and Biocon are among the known Indian manufactures of generic Remdesivir.
What is Remdesivir and why it is recommended?
In November 2020, “WHO has issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients, regardless of disease severity, as there is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients”. As per the WHO, there is no significant or important effect on mortality and other key outcomes. This would effectively mean that the evidence is not enough to recommend Remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment. The British Medical Journal experts also hold the same view in this regard.
Fake Remdesivir (drugs) in distribution
Now that Remdesivir is recommended by Healthcare professionals in India, patients and their families are buying this drug from different sources. While doing so, it is very important for them to exercise caution and fair judgement. There are several fake drugs that are circulating in the market as per media reports. Several arrests are also made in this connection by the police authorities. Fake drug markets are not new to India as counterfeit drugs are often either smuggled into the country or manufactured in India itself by criminal groups. It is always a better practice to buy from the authorized dealers and pharmacies. But the scarcity caused due to unauthorized hording and subsequent sale in the black markets is such a menace to deal with.
