Hyderabad: Black marketing of several drugs across the Telangana

Hyderabad: With Covid-19 cases spiking daily, black marketing of several drugs and injections like Remdesivir, Infliximab, Amphotericin B used for black fungus has become common across the state and in India. It is being sold multiple times its retail price of Rs 30,000 per vial.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Telangana private pharma companies said the problem of black marketing begin when any essential commodity is available in less amount which doesn't meet the demand there is naturally a chance of a black market.

When a hospital prescribes these drugs or injections to the family members of the patients to procure, many have no option but to look to the black market.

Speaking to the Hans India, Dr Lava Kumar Reddy, IMA, Telangana state president flagged key factors that led to black marketing, said as people believe that remdesivir is a complete remedy for this virus. The injection costs 3,000 but by hook or crook, people are purchasing it for Rs 30,000- 45,000, assuming its efficacy against the virus and the same is happening for Ampho B as it is effective against the black fungus. These drugs and injections are extremely popular and have become essential commodities, but it is the duty of enforcement agencies to check.

"These drugs and injections have to be only administered through hospitalizations and the other way to put a halt to this would be through licensed hospitals- either private or government hospitals that are treating covid-19 patients to get it from the producing companies. This is will go a long way into stopping the black market." he said, adding these should not be available in each chemist shops.

Girish Bhat, Managing Director of Mediahauxe Pharma Private Limited which is the distributor of several drugs and medicines including Amphotericin B says that the Principal company has to have a thorough check on their stocks on what is going out from distribution level, from their factory, control over the distributors, check their background, whether they are maintaining cold storage. Every step of distributor and hospitals need to be monitored closely by manufacturers. For instance, if a doctor prescribes 10 anti-fungal medicines to the patient, only four are being given and the patient doesn't need the rest after recovering, it should be returned and the distributor must record the details and send it to the principal company – a whole the process should be recorded of what happened to those 4 injections or drugs from hospital to distributor to the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the government and drug department has to come for an inspection now and then.

"Taking the example of multi-national companies, they check their stocks digitally every day and have scanners to update all the details of each product. Similarly, we need to follow a system and our pharma needs to be digitalized." he asserted

"In our pharma, a nodal officer has been appointed by the government and they are giving sanction to us of medicines which are reaching immediately to patients as per instructions. this way the drugs cannot be meddled with " said Bhat.

He said if a company has 30 distributors, they should inspect and keep a record of everything including patient details, doctor's treatment. Also, the Telangana government has introduced an online application system for the allotment of anti-fungal medicines, which will stop the black market in the state, however, the process needs to be quicker due to a shortage of medicines.