Kolkata: The state health department has started to stock up on intravenous Remdesivir injections, an antiviral drug used in the treatment of infection caused by the Nipah virus. This antiviral medicine was in huge demand during the pandemic as it was widely used to treat coronavirus patients.
Though the state currently has only two confirmed cases of Nipah, health officials said the revamping of its medicine stock was essential to be future-ready. A senior health department official said they had sent Remdesivir vials to the Barasat hospital, where the two Nipa-affected, young nurses were undergoing treatment. "A fresh stock of this drug has already arrived and if need be, we will procure more soon," said the official.
The fresh stock has been stored at Central Medical Store, from where the supply will go out to govt health units. The health official said they could provide the medicine even to private hospitals in case any of them required it for suspected cases. An official said while there was no definite antidote for Nipah infection, antiviral medicines, including Remdesivir, was now the choice of drug.
The procurement followed a meeting on Tuesday between senior health department officials and reputable carrying and forwarding (C&F) agents to discuss preparedness for the Nipah situation.
Remdesivir was a crucial anti-viral drug used extensively to treat Covid patients. Though Ribavirin and Favipiravir were also widely used during the pandemic, those two medicines were used only for hospitalized patients. So, an official said, procurement of those two medicines would be based on demand from hospitals and drug suppliers.
Since these medicines are no longer in high demand, much of the stock from the Covid-19 period expired over the past two years, said an official.
"We are hopeful that this current Nipah outbreak would be contained soon with only limited spread. But we need to have a regular supply of Remdesivir in case we get more suspected cases," said an infectious diseases specialist.
The health department identified a Goa-based company that still produces Remdesivir and placed an order to maintain sufficient stock. Prithwi Bose, general secretary of the Bengal Chemists' and Druggists' Association, said, "These drugs are not widely sold in medicine shops. There is also no surge in demand at this moment. There is no need to panic as the state is working on it."