Over the last few weeks as COVID-19 cases in India soared to new heights, supplies have been dwindling. While some vaccination centres briefly shut their doors, hospitals bemoan a shortage of medical oxygen, and the usage of drugs such as Remdesivir became heavily regulated.
It has become increasingly common to see social media posts where the friends and family of a COVID-19 positive patient seek such supplies, and going by news articles, there have been sporadic protests in various hospitals. Against this background, people in India appear to have resorted to some unusual methods to procure Remdesivir.
As per reports, vials of the drug are now being sold on e
Remdesivir is being sold on an e-commerce website OLX for as much as Rs 6,000. Keep in mind that restrictions have been imposed on the sale and purchase of the drug and it is currently not available for home use. Both state and central governments have emphasised the need to reserve Remdesivir for serious COVID-19 cases where patients have been hospitalised and are on oxygen support. Medicines and drugs are also not a part of the varied products that OLX sells.
Remdesivir incidentally is not a proven treatment against COVID-19. But with lakhs testing positive on a daily basis and not much information to go by, doctors continue to prescribe it. For patients and their families, it has become a beacon of hope, spurring a brisk black market trade and assuming near mythical status for its restorative properties.
