On the wake of the rising COVID-19 cases and with demand for Remdesivir injections increasing in Maharashtra, a medical store owner in Akola played the role of a model citizen by handing over to the FDA a pack of 90 vials of the drug that had got couriered to his shop despite no order being placed for it, officials said on Saturday. A Food and Drug Administration official said a probe had begun to find out the origins of the vials at a time when the state is facing a shortage of it.
"It has come from a Nagpur based firm and got couriered to a shop here. The owner of the shop handed over the pack, which contained 90 vials, to us," he said. In another news, Maharashtra will provide the Covid-19 vaccine free of cost to people in the 18-45 age group, minister Nawab Malik said on Sunday. Nawab Malik said it is the state government's responsibility to implement the vaccination drive. Maharashtra, the worst-hit state by Covid-19, has been reporting over 60,000 daily cases for the past few days. Maharashtra has already been giving free vaccinations to all citizens above 45 years of age. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday that the Maharashtra government will float a global tender for Covid-19 vaccines and remdesivir injections.