Amid the shortage of medical equipments, medics, oxygen in India, today, 125,000 vials of the antiviral drug Remdesivir arrived from the United States. It is the fourth relief shipment that has arrived in India and more life-saving supplies are on the way said US Embassy in New Delhi.
The ministry of chemicals and fertilizers in a statement on Friday had said that India will get a shipment of 450,000 vials of remdesivir from US-based innovator of the drug, Gilead Sciences Inc, and its Egypt-based voluntary licensee Eva Pharma in various tranches till July.
Apart from Gilead’s supply, India will also get remdesivir from Egypt-based Eva Pharma, with which Gilead had signed a voluntary licensing agreement in May last year.
Eva pharma will supply approximately 10,000 vials initially followed by 50,000 vials every 15 days till July.
Besides US, countries France, Taiwan, Uzbekistan and Belgium today delivered to India medical supplies, including oxygen plants and medicines, as a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections continued to ravage various parts of the country.
A special cargo flight brought 28 tonnes of medical equipment from France as part of the country's first phase of the "solidarity mission" launched by President Emmanuel Macron to help India fight the pandemic. The French shipment included eight large oxygen plants, 28 ventilators and 200 electric syringe pumps.
The French embassy said each of the eight plants can continuously supply oxygen to a 250-bed hospital round-the-clock for a dozen years and that they produce medical oxygen from ambient air.
French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain said more supplies will come soon from France and that both countries stand together in this fight against the pandemic.
The embassy said the medical supplies were worth more than Rs 17 crore.
"We stand by India in these difficult times, just as India has always stood by France. In Spring 2020, when French hospitals were facing acute shortages, India provided life-saving help through the export of critical medical drugs," Lenain said.
Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said the assistance by France is a testament to the strategic partnership between the two countries.
India on Sunday reported 3,92,488 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the infection tally to 1,95,57,457 besides 3,689 fresh fatalities were reported.
