Rs 3,000/vial Remdesivir sold for Rs 12,000 in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Anti-viral drug Remdesivir, much in demand to treat Covid-19 infections, is being sold at more than three times its price in Tamil Nadu as unscrupulous agents resort to profiteering during the pandemic. A vial that costs between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 plus GST is sold for Rs 12,500 to Rs 13,000 in the black market.
Though government hospitals have adequate stocks of the drug, it’s in short supply in private hospitals.This is where ‘agents’ come in. Often doctors themselves give desperate patients the contact numbers of ‘agents’ who may own their own pharmaceutical distribution agency or could be working for hospitals or pharmaceutical firms. The initial contact is over messaging apps.

A Covid-19 patient in Trichy paid an agent Rs 75,000 for six vials after a private hospital couldn’t source the drug. C N Raja, president of the Indian Medical Association (Tamil Nadu), who spoke to the agent, has now complained to health department officials and also informed the TN drugs control department.
K Sivabalan, director of TN drugs control department, said there is no way this drug can be sold directly to patients. “The drug has not reached the retail market. It is only available with government or private hospitals. This is totally false as the stock itself is limited. We have a strong force and we haven’t received a single complaint. In TN it is not available in the black market. However, we will take action based on specific instances,” he told TOI.
When TOI called up the ‘agent’ in Madurai, he said he could courier Remdesivir or Tocilizumab immediately to any part of the country and one can order any quantity. He messaged his name, address of his agency, and photos of the drugs available. An ‘agent’ in Coimbatore, who says he’s an employee of a private hospital, is selling it at Rs 13,000 a vial.
Asked how they got Remdesivir when there was a huge shortage everywhere, the agents said they procured it from the manufacturer directly and because there was a huge demand they were selling it at high rates. Private hospitals are the biggest customers, they said.
C N Raja said “Even doctors are unable to procure it but these agents are getting it. A doctor in Madurai informed me that the drugs Remdesivir and Tocilizumab are easily available in the black market so I decided to check and called an agent. He told me if I sent him the Covid positive test report and Aadhaar copy of the patient, he would courier the drugs immediately. The government should put an end to black market sales immediately and take measures to make the drug available at MRP,” he said.
An agent told TOI that he ran a pharmacy for over ten years and he procured the drug from the manufacturer. “Even hospitals are purchasing from me only. So you can trust the drug,” he said. The agent in Coimbatore said he got it from a private hospital there.
P Kamalesh, a resident of Trichy, who was looking for the drug for his relative said the hospitals do not provide any separate bills for drugs. “Initially the hospital asked us to buy the drug on our own. When we couldn’t, the hospital got it. We were asked to pay a total of 1.40 lakh for three days as expenses.”
Health secretary, J Radhakrishnan said based on complaints, he would take action. “There is a shortage of the drug but the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation purchased very early and we have a good stock. If the private hospitals want, we could make some arrangement so that they can procure from us on case-to-case basis,” he said. The government charges Rs3,000 plus GST for a vial of Remdesivir.
Dr P Umanath, managing director of TNMSC, said there are just a few companies that produce the drugs Remdesivir and Tocilizumab -- Hetero, Cipla, Mylan, Cadila, Jubilant drugs and Dr Reddy’s Labs. “Hetero has started first. We have procured 40,000 vials from them. Others have just begun the supply. We help out private hospitals on request for critically ill patients with them but we cannot supply to all private hospitals, considering our stocks being needed for government hospitals. So far, 160 vials of both these drugs were provided to private hospitals at a cost of Rs 20,832 for a pack of six vials. We will come up with some options to make these drugs available for private hospitals,” he said.