A new controversy has sprung up over the supply of Remdesivir. The life-saving drug used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, finds itself at the heart of a controversy as Maharashtra faces a major shortage in its stock amidst rising demand.

In the state of Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the BMC of being involved in the malpractice with regards to the Remdesivir supply in the state.

The BJP sought a probe by the anti-corruption bureau and wrote to the CM calling for making centralised purchase and distribution of the drug to fight black marketing.

According to a report by Times of India, BJP alleged that BMC paid 2.5 times more per vial than what the state-run Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation (HBPCL) paid in the same period and ended up spending around Rs 17 crore more to buy remdesivir.

“There should be an ACB inquiry into this. There is a clear nexus between officials of the central purchase department of BMC and drug-makers. I am going to file a written complaint with all the documents about the remdesivir scam and ask for a high-level probe,” said BJP corporator Vinod Mishra.

Maha Vikas Aghadi Minister Nawab Malik claimed that the Centre is denying permission to companies willing to sell Remdesivir in the country.

"There are 16 export-oriented units in our country that have 20 lakh vials of Remdesivir, since exports are now banned by the government, these units are seeking permission to sell this medicine in our country but the central government is denying the same," he wrote on Twitter.

In good faith, the leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis sought FDA’s permission for a Daman-based pharmaceutical manufacturing company called Bruck Pharma to supply the drug to the state.

However, in recent developments, Mumbai police summoned a director of Bruck Pharma for interrogation about a large quantity of the drug stored in Mumbai.

As the unraveling events add to the already chaotic situation in Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, "Four days ago our leaders Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lal had gone to Daman to Bruck Pharma and requested them to supply the drug to Maharashtra. They obliged but said they did not have the license. Then I spoke to Mansukh Mandaviya and got them the license.”

Image courtesy: India Today