COVID Treatment: Odisha Allocated Only 25 Vials Of Tocilizumab

Bhubaneswar: The Centre has allocated only 25 vials of Tocilizumab injection to Odisha.

It is an immunosuppressive drug manufactured by Roche Pharma in Switzerland and used originally for treating rheumatoid arthritis but recently prescribed for treating critically ill COVID-19 patients.

In a letter to all states and UTs, Joint Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Navdeep Rinwa said that the drug went out of stock in the country a few weeks ago due to a sudden surge in its demand amid a sharp rise in the new cases this month. “Fresh limited stock of this drug has now been imported and is available with the lone marketer company Cipla Ltd. for marketing and distribution in the country. An interim allocation of this drug among states has been finalized jointly by MoHFW and the DoP in consultation with the company,” he wrote.

The highest allocation of 800 vials has been made for Maharashtra followed by 500 each to Delhi and Gujarat. Odisha along with Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Punjab have got 25 vials each.

“The allocated stocks have been sent/are being sent to the Cipla depots in the respective states and are placed at the disposal of the states for allocation to Government and Private hospitals in the state. No separate allocation is being sent to private hospitals,” the letter further said.

The states have been advised to ensure that these limited stocks are used judiciously and strictly in accordance with the standard treatment protocol.

The allocation is interim and would be reviewed shortly, it added.