VIJAYAWADA: Sleuths of Drug Control Administration (DCA) carried out a surprise inspection in a pharmacy store in the NIMRA Institute of Medical Sciences in Ibrahimpatnam and found pharmacists selling Remdesivir injections to the Covid-19 patients at additional price on Sunday.
The inspection was based on a complaint filed by a patient’s attendant that the pharmacy staff demanded him to pay Rs 5,000 for one Remdesivir (COVIFOR) vial, while the MRP is Rs 3,500. NIMRA Institute of Medical Sciences is notified as a Covid-19 hospital by the Krishna district administration and offering services to Covid-19 patients with a bed capacity of 300, including ICU beds, oxygen beds and ventilator support.
Following the directions of assistant director and nodal officer for Krishna district K Rajabhanu Garu, a team of DCA inspectors Lakshman, Balu, Parveen and Suresh descended on the pharmacy and found that the attendants were made to pay an extra of Rs 1,500 for each COVIFOR vial (which was bought by them from APMSIDC) and also no sale bills were being issued.
The licensee has so far sold 275 injections for Rs 5,000 (above MRP) fleecing the patients to the tune of Rs 4.15 lakh from both Aarogyasri and other patients. “A case under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 has been booked against them and statements of other patients have been recorded,” K Rajabhanu said.