Gujarat: Demand for Remdesivir, oxygen falls as new cases decline

Ahmedabad: With the number of new coronavirus infections and active cases in Gujarat declining, the demand for oxygen and drugs like Remdesivir has fallen, the Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) said on Tuesday. The state has been reporting less than 1,000 new cases per day since the last week of October.

The demand for medical oxygen decreased to 135 tons per day in October compared to 240 tons per day in the previous month, said FDCA commissioner H G Koshiya.

"Cases of coronavirus in the state are declining and the demand and consumption of medical oxygen, Remdesivir injections and Favipiravir tablets, which are useful in its treatment, has seen a big decline," he said.


Remdesivir is used to treat critical COVID-19 patients.

"The number of Remdesivir injections used (sold) in the open market came down to around 83,000 in October from 1.80 lakh in September. In government hospitals, its use declined to 30,000 in October from 40,000 in September," he said.

26 lakh Favipiravir tablets (200 mg), prescribed in mild cases of coronavirus infection, were consumed in September. The number shrank to four lakh in October. The consumption of Favipiravir 400 mg tablets came down to 2.8 lakh in October compared to six lakh in September.

Gujarat reported 875 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, which took the tally of cases to 1,74,679. There are 12,700 active cases in the state.