HYDERABAD: The Telangana government stated on Saturday that indiscriminate use of Remdesivir drug in the State by private hospitals was leading to the current artificial shortage. Stating that the drug was still under trial and only effective in select cases, Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao stated that the private hospitals had been sensitised and trained to not prescribe the drug for every case as it was meant for restrictive use.
“All viral diseases are self-limiting, which means the body can fight them off by itself. The drug will only help in aiding the body if the viral infection is of moderate to severe intensity. Only in select patients where the drug will not have adverse reaction can it be administered. At present, it is being misused everywhere from homes to hospitals,” said Dr Rao.
Dr Rao noted that Telangana had only two companies — Hetero Drug and Mylan — which produced Remdesisivir and at present, only Hetero was manufacturing about 20,000-30,000 vials every day and supplying it to the whole country. Mylan is likely to resume production in three days. “Hospitals and patients must know that the drug is not loosely available in the market.
To check its misuse, the Drug Control Authority of Telangana has prepared a list of all Covid-19 treating hospitals and sent the same to the manufacturers who will directly send the drug from their godown to the hospital, based on the requirement,” added Rao.He urged people to avail government hospital services to receive the best treatment with no shortage of any drug. “Instead of running around for a magic drug, people must focus on preventive measures. A pandemic can only be prevented and not treated,” he added.