The State Directorate of Drugs Control on Saturday said the Favipiravir tablet and Remdesivir injectible formulation would be sold to public by medicine stores in the State with certain restrictions.
As per conditions set by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the medicines would be sold under prescription by doctors and would be available to a patient or the patient’s representative on furnishing residence proof.
Informed consent of the patient or his or her representative in the prescribed form is mandatory before initiating treatment.
The drugs would be made available to the patient, his representative only through in-house retail chemists attached to hospitals, nursing homes having valid drug licences. Where there is no in-house retail chemist shop in the hospital and nursing home, the local Drugs Inspector would identify one or more retail chemist shops through which the drugs would be made available.
The retail chemist shop will mandatorily retain a photocopy of the prescription, a photocopy of written consent of the patient or his/her representative, residential proof of the purchaser and his other contact details before supply of the medicines as record for verification in addition to fulfilment of other conditions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules.
Remdesivir formulation is to be supplied for use only to the hospitals or institutions to ensure proper use of the drug under the Restricted Emergency Use. In no case, Remdesivir formulation is to be sold to any patient or his representative directly.
The retail chemist shall furnish details of purchase, sale of the above drugs to the respective Drugs Inspector on a weekly basis. The drug official is to verify purchase and sale details of the stockists, retail chemists from time to time to weed out possible hoarding or black-marketing and report compliance.