India has removed import duty on remdesivir, an anti-viral drug which is currently used to treat Covid-19 patients.
The Ministry of Finance, in a notification issued on late Tuesday night, removed the duty on import of pharmaceutical ingredients used to manufacture of the drug. Besides, ready-to-use remdesivir injection have been exempted as well. "This notification shall remain in force up to and inclusive of the 31st October, 2021," the ministry said.
Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilizers Shri D. V. Sadanand Gowda shared the same via Twitter and said that the government has taken into consideration the recommendation of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, the Department of Revenue to waive customs duty on Remdesivir and its API/KSM. This step will further augment the domestic availability of Remdesivir injection, he said.
Shortage of Remdesivir triggers hoarding
As the shortage of Remdesivir resulted in many cases of hoarding and smuggling, many cases have come under scanner recently, including the one where Gujarat state BJP office resorted to 'illegal and unauthorised distribution of Remdesivir injection' from its Surat office.
The Gujarat High Court has sent notices in this case and scheduled the next hearing on May 5.
