Gurugram: The district drug control department of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Haryana is seeking the details from private hospitals in the city regarding the availability of approved Covid-19 medicines and injectables in their pharmacies for ensuring sufficient stock and preventing black marketing.
The department is now seeking details of the two drugs — favipiravir and tocilizumab — used for treating the patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus as major private hospitals are running out of stock for injectable generic antiviral drug remdesivir, being administered on moderately ill patients.
Amandeep Chauhan, district drug control officer said, “Hospitals have been directed to share the details of the Covid-19 drugs stock available in their pharmacies. Since tocilizumab is an expensive drug, with one vial of 400mg costing Rs 40,000, only selected big hospitals stock it. As per the data shared by the hospitals so far, there are currently only 10-12 vials in the city.”
“Favipiravir is an oral drug which is the most widely used antiviral medicine for Covid-19 patients. It is a 200mg tablet used to treat mild to moderate cases. Like in cases of remdesivir and tocilizumab, a written consent from the patient or his family member is taken before it is prescribed. Each strip has 35 tablets, which costs around Rs 3,500. There are 400 strips currently available with three to four big private hospitals, where maximum Covid-19 patients are being treated” Chauhan further added.
“The data collected from Gurugram is being directly sent to the Haryana Drug Control office. If there is unavailability of stock or insufficient stock, our team is trying to arrange it,” said Chauhan.
