MEA working on top priority on short-term supply gap of Oxygen, Remdesivir: Foreign Secy

Amid the scarcity of essential life-saving commodities such as medical Oxygen and Remdesivir, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that it has been working on top priority for bridging the short-term supply gap of the essential commodities.

As the country grapples with the devastating second wave of COVID-19, the single-day spike in COVID-19 cases continues to be over 3 lakh and the number is nearing the 4 lakh mark. The alarming rise of COVID-19 infections has strained the health infrastructure in the country, making the drugs to treat COVID-19 patients scarce. India is expecting to source more than 7 lakh doses of Remdesivir from various manufacturers and also procure raw material for Indian manufacturers to produce the required drugs and vaccines indigenously.

"Gilead Sciences has offered us 450,000 doses of Remdesivir. It is very essential in today's context. We are also offered 300,000 doses of Favipiravir some from Russia and UAE. Tocilizumab was very essential and part of our priority list, which we are getting from Germany and Switzerland. Roche has also agreed to expedite their raw material supplies. So we are also expediting raw material supplies not only for the production of Remdesivir but also vaccines," Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said while addressing a special press conference on Internation Cooperation on COVID-19 pandemic.

According to ANI, Indian manufacturers are currently producing around 70,000 Remdesivir a day, and are in process of ramping up the production to 4 lakh Remdesivir a day, however, they need raw materials to do the same.

Shringla said that MEA is in touch with all the international manufacturers and providers of raw material. He also said Gilead Sciences is "directly guiding us" from where to procure doses while adding the US government has also assured India to do its best to meet demands.

"We have made all efforts to reach out to all sources of Remdesivir. Gilead Sciences or other authorised manufacturers in Egypt and Israel. We are in direct contact with Gilead Sciences and they will provide 4.5 lakh on a gratis basis. We also contacted Egypt from where we expect to procure 4 lakh doses. We know Bangladesh is also producing and there are also stocks in Uzbekistan and UAE. Wherever there are stocks, we are contacting them and trying to get it in our country to cover the short-term gap," he said.

Around 40 nations across the world including all major powers like the US, Russia, Japan, France, Germany, and the UK have announced medical supplies and assistance to help India deal with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Shringla said India had supplied essential pharmaceutical products including hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol, and even Remdesivir to several countries in view of the pandemic and the countries have now come forward to help India.

"We have given assistance; we are getting assistance. It shows an interdependent world. It shows a world that is working with each other," Shringla said.