A post claiming that Remdesivir can be purchased directly via ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra’ at ₹899 as against ₹4000 charged by medical shops is going viral on social media.
Here’s the link to the above post.
Check similar posts here, here, and here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral claim and found it to be fake.
We went through the list of generic medicines given on the PM Jan Aushadhi website, but Remdesivir was not a part of this list.
Further, a news agency quoted Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog, who said that Remdesivir should not be procured from chemist shops as it is for individuals who require hospitalisation and are on oxygen.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also urged doctors to administer Remdesivir only to hospitalized patients low on oxygen. Related newspaper reports can be seen here and here.
Another claim that was made regarding the cost of Remdesivir injection is also misleading. There are a total of seven Indian pharmaceutical companies that manufacture Remdesivir and the price varies in each case.
Recently, in March 2021, Zydus Cadila, one of the manufacturers, reduced the price for a 100mg vial from ₹2800 to ₹899. Hence, the claim that Remdesivir is simply available at a price of ₹899 is misleading. Only Zydus Cadila has reduced the price, not other manufacturers.
Hence, from the above information, it is evident that the viral claim stating that Remdesivir can be purchased directly via ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra’ is fake. Further, the cost of a Remdesivir injection has not been capped at ₹ 899, as it depends on the drug manufacturer.
If you want to fact-check any story, WhatsApp it now on +91 11 7127 9799
Error: Contact form not found.
Click here for Latest News updates and viral videos on our AI-powered smart news