COVID-19 Treatment Remdesivir Export Ban Order
Surge in COVID-19 Cases in India... "Domestic Demand First"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As COVID-19 cases surge in India, the Indian government has issued an export ban on the treatment drug Remdesivir, following the vaccine export restrictions.
On the 11th (local time), according to major foreign media, the Indian Ministry of Health stated in a press release, "Due to the rapid increase in demand for Remdesivir amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, exports will be banned for the time being."
The Ministry of Health added, "There is a possibility that demand will increase further." This effectively declares that the export ban on Remdesivir will be prolonged.
India, a leading country in the production of generic drugs worldwide, has seven pharmaceutical companies contracted with Gilead Sciences, the developer of Remdesivir, to produce generic versions of the drug. India produces about 3.9 million tablets of Remdesivir per month.
Remdesivir is a COVID-19 treatment drug officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October last year, and became well-known after former U.S. President Donald Trump used it as a treatment upon contracting COVID-19.
This is not the first time India has controlled exports of COVID-19 related medicines. On the 25th of last month, the Indian government announced a temporary halt on the overseas export of AstraZeneca vaccines produced in India. According to the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, vaccine exports have been stopped since the 18th of last month.
The Indian government's move to control exports of COVID-19 medicines is intended to prioritize meeting domestic demand amid the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases within the country.
According to the statistics site Worldometer, India's total number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 13.52 million on this day. The cumulative death toll also exceeded 170,000.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
