Was Centre behind two suppliers refusing to meet Maha’s Remdesivir demand: Maha Cong

Mumbai:  Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday asked whether the Centre was responsible for two firms, selected for supplying Remdesivir, later expressing inability to meet the state’s demand.

Shortage of Remdesivir, a drug used to treat COVID-19 patients in certain cases, has become the subject of a bitter political row between the state and the Centre.

“The Maharashtra government’s tender for supply of eight lakh injections of Remdesivir was awarded to two companies and the state was to get 50,000 vials a day starting tomorrow,” Patole told reporters.

“But now these companies have communicated to the state that they can not supply so many vials. They can supply only a few thousand, they have informed,” he said.

“Is the Centre behind these companies drastically dropping their supply quantity? Is the Centre putting people’s lives in danger just to defame the Maharashtra government?” the Congress leader asked.

State health minister Rajesh Tope and Food and Drug Administration minister Rajendra Shingane few days ago had assured that the supply of Remdesivir will increase from April 21.

The state was currently facing a shortage of around 10,000 vials a day, they had said.