Remdesivir sales across the state have come down to 1,680 vials so far in October, compared to a record sale of 3.49 lakh injections in April. Monthly sales of the antiviral drug exceeded 1 lakh vials during March to May, when the second wave of the pandemic gripped the state and the entire country. Remdesivir sales in October are lowest since June 2020, shows compiled data Gujarat food and Medicine control administration.
Meanwhile, sales of the oral antiviral drug Favipiravir have also touched their lowest level since the outbreak of the pandemic. About 408 tablets of Favipiravir 200mg have been sold so far in October this year as against a record sale of 34.47 lakh tablets. Sales of favipiravir in 400 mg and 800 mg doses also fell to 780 tablets and 612 tablets, respectively, in October. In April, sales of 400 mg tablets reached 1 crore tablets and 800 mg tablets sales reached 14.45 lakh tablets, state FDCA data further showed.
FDCA-Gujarat Commissioner Dr HG Koshia said, “Sales of Remdesivir and Favipiravir have fallen to negligible levels, which is in line with the sharp reduction in Covid-19 cases across the state.”
According to the data compiled by the state FDCA, the sale of Covid drugs has been declining steadily since June 2021. “With more vaccinations, there has definitely been a reduction in cases. People are now more confident post-vaccination and hence, the consumption of immunity boosters is reduced. As long as people wear masks in public places, things can remain under control,” said Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president, Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA).
“The sale of preventive and immunity boosting drugs has completely taken a back seat. While the sale of masks continues, the demand for sanitizers has also fallen drastically. People are getting satisfied with the situation and hence, there has been a drastic reduction in expenditure on medicines related to Covid. This trend has been observed since July this year,” said Ankur Agarwal, founder, Medkart.
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