The increase in coronavirus infections has sparked the black-marketing in India of essential drugs which are considered to have a beneficial impact on patients with the disease.
In Agra, a COVID-19 patient's family was surprised when they were told to pay Rs 40,000 for a Remdesivir vial, which is normally priced at Rs 4,500. The seller told the family that the price was that high because the vial had to be sourced all the way from New Delhi.
Based on the latest estimates, there are over 1,800 bulk drug sellers and 2,800 retail chemist shops in the district of Agra, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh that is around 206 kilometers south of India's capital city, New Delhi. However, the sellers claimed the vaccine is out of stock while doctors prescribe it to their patients.
According to Puneet Kalra, spokesperson of Agra Pharma Association, the demand for Remdesivir has grown rapidly in the last two weeks. He said that many caretakers of patients with COVID-19 approach them for the vaccine.
"However, we have no choice but to turn them away as there's no stock available from the local wholesalers and retailers," Deepak Lavania of The Times of India, quoted him as saying in his report.
Kalra said that capitalizing on the scarce supply, some of the large stocks inventory in New Delhi sell the vaccine at around Rs40,000 per vial, which is about 10 times the minimum retail price.
The Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration took action on reports of the rampant black market sale of drugs. Senior Drug Inspector Zubal Ali has told India Today TV that all chemists are being asked to provide the complete identity information of the patient to whom Remdisivir was supplied, with the name of the doctor who prescribed it and the price. For this specific medicine, the chemists were required to hold a separate ledger.
Ali disclosed that the agency has discovered several anomalous transactions involving the procurement and records of sale of several bulk drug sellers, which includes records of sales of sanitizer as well.
Senior Physician Dr. SK Kalra stated that Remdisivir significantly improves the patient's immunity is highly recommended for mild to moderate cases of the virus but, the supply of the vaccine is running low in Agra.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai criminal unit apprehended seven persons on Saturday for allegedly selling overpriced Remdesivir injections. The arrested persons have been accused of selling a vial at Rs 30,000 compared to the actual price of Rs 5,400. FDA officials and crime agents also seized stock of Remdesivir injections after raiding two places in the city on the same day.
