Karnataka warns Cipla, Jubilant of legal action for not supplying Remdesivir

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday served notices on pharmaceutical majors, Cipla and Jubilant, warning them of legal proceedings for not supplying adequate quantities of Remdesivir as directed by the government of India.

In a notice to the pharmaceutical companies, Principal Secretary, Revenue, N. Manjunatha Prasad said they were ordered to deliver 62,000 vials of Remdesivir, but they supplied very less consignment. Cipla and Jubilant were ordered to supply 30,000 and 32,000 vials respectively by May 9. However, they supplied only 10,840 and 17,601 vials on May 8. The two companies failed to supply the requisite quantity as directed by the government of India, which has severely impacted treatment of patients requiring Remdesivir vials in the State, the notices said.

The companies have been asked to immediately fulfill the supply obligation of Remdesivir vials, as allotted by the government of India to the State as of Tuesday within 24 hours of the receipt of the notice. "Non-adherence or non-compliance of these directions by M/s Jubilant Limited and M/s Cipla Limited shall be liable to be proceeded under section 58 and 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 besides legal actions under relevant section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other legal provisions as applicable," Prasad said in his order.

Remdesivir injections are in high demand as it is vital for the Covid patients with severe lung infections. Many people have been arrested for selling the drug in black market at an exorbitant price.

With Covid infections surging, the demand for Remdesivir has sky-rocketed.