India is currently dealing with a devastating second Covid-19 wave that has swept through the nation, crushing the country's health infrastructure and overburdening frontline medical workers.
Ganga Ram hospital Chairperson Dr DS Rana on Tuesday said that Remdesivir is being considered to be dropped from COVID-19 treatment soon as there is no evidence of its effectiveness in treating COVID-19 patients. This move comes after, the use of convalescent plasma has been dropped from the recommended treatment protocols for COVID -19, according to advisory from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)."If we talk about other medicines which we use in COVID treatment, there is no such evidence regarding Remdesivir that works in Covid-19 treatment. Medicines that do not have any activity to work, will have to be discontinued", said Dr Rana.
With the cases surging in the country, there has been a spur in the demand for Remdesivir injections. The doctors are prescribing Remdesivir injection. However, it is not available in the market. Regarding the injection, actor Sonu Sood has raised one simple question. He wrote,"When everyone knows a particular injection is not available anywhere, why does every doctor recommends that injection only? When the hospitals cannot get that medicine then how will a common man get? Why can't we use a substitute of that medicine & save a life?
Remdesivir injections are prescribed by doctors for the treatment of corona patients. However, those injections are not available in the market. In addition, increased demand for injections has led to hoarding and selling injections at a very high price. It has also come to light that 2 injections were sold for Rs 70,000. Therefore, the common man is suffering.
However, it is now being speculated that Remdesivir may be dropped soon as there is no such evidence of its functioning.