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India bans export of Covid-19 treatment drug remdesivir

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Agence France-Presse

<p>NEW DELHI - India on Sunday banned the export of remdesivir as infections soared to a new daily high and hospitals grappled with increasing demand for the coronavirus treatment drug.</p><p>The vast nation has experienced a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks, adding 152,000 new cases on Sunday to take the toll to 13.3 million infections.</p><p>The health ministry said the surge in cases has led to a &quot;sudden spike in demand&quot; for the antiviral drug.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/25/21/doh-says-experimental-drugs-used-for-covid-19-running-low">DOH says experimental drugs used for COVID-19 running low</a></li></ul><p>&quot;There is a potential of further increase in this demand in the coming days,&quot; the ministry said in a statement, adding that the export ban would be in place &quot;till the situation improves&quot;.</p><p>Remdesivir, made by US pharma giant Gilead, was one of the first drugs to show relative promise in shortening the recovery time for some Covid-19 patients.</p><p>But a World Health Organization-backed study has said that the drug had &quot;little or no effect&quot; on Covid-19 mortality.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/11/20/20/who-rejects-antiviral-drug-remdesivir-as-covid-19-treatment">WHO rejects antiviral drug remdesivir as COVID-19 treatment</a></li></ul><p>Gilead last year signed licensing agreements with generic pharmaceutical producers based in India, Pakistan and Egypt, allowing them to manufacture remdesivir for distribution in 127 mostly low and lower-middle income nations.</p><p>Seven firms in India -- the world&#x27;s biggest producer of generic drugs -- are licensed to manufacture remdesivir.</p><p>They have a monthly production capacity of up to 3.88 million injection doses, the ministry added.</p><p>The ban came as India&#x27;s wealthiest state Maharashtra, which has been the main driver of the infection spike, explored announcing a complete lockdown from as early as Monday.</p><p>India had shied away from harsh restrictions since a months-long nationwide lockdown -- one of the strictest in the world -- was gradually lifted last year, amid fears of shattering the already battered economy.</p><p>But local authorities have increasingly imposed restrictions, including Maharashtra&#x27;s weekend lockdown and night curfew, as cases continue to rise.</p><p>The chief minister of Delhi, India&#x27;s capital, said Sunday that his government was not in favor of a lockdown, but would consider the drastic measure if hospital beds start running out.</p><p>He added that 65 percent of new Covid-19 patients were less than 45 years old. </p><p>India, home to the world&#x27;s biggest vaccine manufacturer, has meanwhile slowed its export of shots due to the spike as several states have warned in recent days that their stocks were running low.</p><p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a four-day &quot;vaccine festival&quot; to kick start a &quot;second battle against corona&quot; in a bid to speed up a sluggish vaccination rollout.</p><div><strong>grk-abh/oho</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1659306" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>NEW DELHI - India on Sunday banned the export of remdesivir as infections soared to a new daily high and hospitals grappled with increasing demand for the coronavirus treatment drug.</p>

NEW DELHI - India on Sunday banned the export of remdesivir as infections soared to a new daily high and hospitals grappled with increasing demand for the coronavirus treatment drug.