PIL in Delhi High Court seeking sale of Covid 19 drug Remdesivir in domestic market withdrawn
Aug 10, 2021
New Delhi [India], August 10 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed the petitioner to withdraw his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the sale of Remdesivir, used in COVID-19 treatment, in the domestic market.
Remdesivir is a drug used in Covid-19 treatment. The PIL sought permission that all the drug firms making Remdesivir be allowed to sell it in the domestic market.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh disposed of the plea after the counsel appearing for the petitioner informed the court that his client wished to withdraw the matter.
Earlier, the court had sought the response of all the respondents including the Centre and concerned authorities in the matter. The court had also issued notice to various pharma firms including Zydus, Cadila, Cipla and other makers of Remdesivir medicine.
Petitioner Dincur Bajaj in his plea claimed that only a few firms were allowed to sell the medicine in the domestic market and many of the companies were involved in manufacturing the drugs for export purposes.
The petitioner also stated that since the export of Remdesivir had been banned by the Centre, the companies which were producing it for export be permitted to manufacture and sell it in the domestic market.
Amid the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, several states had witnessed a shortage of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir and medical oxygen.
During the Covid-19 second wave, the Centre had prohibited the exports of Remdesivir injection and Remdesivir active pharmaceutical ingredients till the COVID situation in the country improves.
