Delhi, Apr 12: Remdesivir is an anti-viral medicine – a medicine used to fight viruses. It has been developed by Gilead Sciences, a US based company. It is administered (given to the patient) as an injection in the vein.
Since 2020, this medicine has been used for the treatment of COVID-19. This medicine is made by seven manufacturers in India. They have licence (permission) from Gilead Sciences to make the medicine.
India was also exporting this medicine to other countries. With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in India, the demand for the medicine increased. This led to a supply shortage.
The Government of India has now banned the export of the medicine and its components (called Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API)), so that enough supply can be made available to Indians. The duration of the export ban is not specified.
