Karnataka govt issues norms for use of Remdesivir injections

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 3 : Karnataka's Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Service has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the use of Remdesivir injections in COVID-19 treating facilities.
"The state has initiated all possible steps and beyond to prevent the deaths of patients suffering from COVID-19 disease, admitted and treated as government referred cases in recognised and KPME registered private hospitals and the government facilities. The state is providing the vital Remdesivir injection free of cost for the treatment of serious and very serious COVID-19 in-patients at the discretion and decision of the treating doctor," read a statement from the Karnataka's Commissionerate of Health & Family Welfare Service.
In the case of government patients admitted to private hospitals, a similar procedure mentioned above shall be followed and the patients so treated shall not be charged for payment either directly or indirectly or through any ancillary means. The SAST shall do necessary follow up for implementing this, it read.
"On an average each severely sick COVID-19 in-patient may require six Remdesivir injection vials for completion of the treatment. Some acute and unfortunate in patients may not be in a position to complete the five-day regimen of the antiviral Remdesivir injection resulting in spending less than average number of vials of Remdesivir," it said.
But in such instances the Remdesivir injection shall not be shown as spent against the name of the in-patient, the guidelines stated.
"A division wise committee of expert doctors has been constituted to monitor directly and indirectly through reports about the movement of Remdesivir injection vials and regulate their use for the bona fide purpose of treating sick and severally sick COVID-19 in-patients in a hospital set up," it said.
The committees have been directed to keep a close watch on the expenditure of Remdesivir vials in each government and government assisted private hospitals in order to regulate seamless availability of Remdesivir injection in each institution in order to prevent the death of all the COVID-19 patients admitted for treatment.
"The government and private hospitals storing the government supplied Remdesivir injection shall open exclusive stock registers for the accountability of Remdesivir drug which is highly resource intensive," it said.
According to the guidelines, "After the administration of the Remdesivir drug to the patient, the wrapper of the injection vial shall be crushed and pinned to the case sheet of the patients, so that each patient who is administered the injection shall have six flattened wrappers pinned to the case sheet."
"The vial of Remdesivir injection after the administration of the drug shall be preserved for the inspection by divisional monitoring team, officers of the department of health and family welfare, district administration or officers from the SAST," it added.