Pulling strings for Remdesivir is all-party affair in Maharashtra

After former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his BJP colleague Pravin Darekar intervened within the police investigation into alleged hoarding of remdesivir in Mumbai earlier this month, the BJP was accused of attempting to distribute the antiviral drug immediately within the state, because it had performed at some locations in Gujarat.
In reality, politicians from a number of events, together with these within the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), offered or distributed the drug on to individuals after procuring it from the producer, or by dipping into district shares, The Indian Express discovered.

As per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, remdesivir, an investigational drug, can solely be distributed by the producer to licensed distributors, stockists, or Covid hospitals.
* Former MLA Shirish Chaudhari, BJP; Nandurbar; distributed 1,500 vials:
Even earlier than Daman-based exporter Bruck Pharma bought native authorisation from the Maharashtra Food & Drugs Administration to produce remdesivir within the state on April 18, Chaudhari had purchased the drug immediately from the corporate, transporting them from Daman to Maharashtra within the first week of April. He distributed the vials from Hotel Heera Executive in Nandurbar to sufferers.
When contacted, Chaudhari mentioned: “Exporters have the stock and they are willing to supply (remdesivir). People were running around for vials so I decided to distribute it. I have had a relationship with them (Bruck) for several years, and they were ready to supply to me.”
Chaudhari mentioned he had bought every vial for Rs 1,650. He mentioned he had distributed some without spending a dime; at different locations, he had offered every vial for Rs 800.
Bruck Pharma didn’t reply to calls and messages searching for a remark.
* Former MLA Chandrakant Raghuvanshi, Shiv Sena; Nandurbar; distributed 6,000 vials:
Following authorisation by the state authorities, the Nandurbar administration procured 5,000 vials of remdesivir, together with 1,000 vials funded by a company social duty (CSR) initiative. Nandurbar Collector Dr Rajendra Bharud handed over 1,000 vials of the drug to Raghuvanshi.
Raghuvanshi mentioned he had additionally bought the drug from different distributors, and had offered it for Rs 550-1,200 per vial on the Rotary Wellness Centre, Nandurbar. The provide to Rotary was stopped after Dr Heena Gavit, the BJP MP from Nandurbar, raised objections.
The MP has demanded an inquiry into how the Collector had distributed remdesivir to Rotary. On April 19, Raghuvanshi introduced that he was stopping the distribution of the drug.
“Let there be an inquiry, I don’t care,” Raghuvanshi mentioned. “I have an FDA licence. We buy stock from P S Pharma in Nashik. I bought remdesivir for Rs 1,500, but distributed it for Rs 1,200 to needy patients.”
Collector Bharud didn’t reply to calls and messages from The Indian Express.
* Sharad Pawar and Rohit Pawar, NCP; Solapur, Ahmednagar, Beed, Pune; distributed greater than 300 vials:
Earlier this month, NCP chief Sharad Pawar transported 75 vials to Solapur, the place MLA Rohit Pawar handed them to former NCP metropolis president Mahesh Gadekar, NCP state common secretary Prashant Babar, and former corporator Deepak Rajage. The injections had been bought by the Nationalist Congress Party Welfare Fund.
Gadekar instructed The Indian Express: “I do not know where they purchased the stock. I was only told to give it to the Collector. The Collector asked me to hand it over to the district committee. The vials were meant for poor and needy patients.”
Pawar additionally distributed the drug to the district administrations of Beed, Ahmednagar, and Pune.

Rohit Pawar mentioned: “The vials were facilitated by the NCP Welfare Trust, to be distributed to the district administration for free to those who need them in emergency. It was not for political gain, it was to help needy patients.”
The Indian Express didn’t get a response from Sharad Pawar’s workplace.
* MLC Amrish Patel, BJP; Shirpur:
Patel is the president of Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM), a Mumbai-based academic belief, and Chancellor of SVKM’s NMIMS, previously referred to as Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. He procured remdesivir for R C Patel Generic Store, which is connected to the R C Patel Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, of which Patel is the president.
“We are getting it (remdesivir) at a discounted rate of Rs 775 and providing it for less to poor people. We are only doing this to save lives,” he instructed The Indian Express.
Patel defended Nandurbar’s Shirish Chaudhari, and mentioned “there is nothing wrong in buying stock from an exporter who has the stock but not a marketing licence”.
* MP Sujay Vikhe Patil, BJP:
The MP from Ahmednagar, a neurosurgeon-turned-politician, posted a video on Twitter that confirmed him seated inside an plane with packing containers purportedly containing remdesivir piled on adjoining seats.
Patil mentioned: “I’ve taken the choice to obtain remdesivir in my private capability utilizing my networks and contacts as a neurosurgeon, and never as a politician.
“I recently saw a 22-year-old youth dying in front of my eyes for lack of remdesivir. I cannot remain a silent spectator. I had to act. I worked my contacts and went to the factory to procure the stock from Delhi.”

Patil claimed 100 remdesivir injections every had been offered to Saibaba Hospital in Shirdi and Ahmednagar district hospital. “The remdesivir stock will be used in the service of poor people.”
There are extra examples. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari issued a press launch saying he had spoken with Sun Pharma and requested for 10,000 vials of remdesivir for Nagpur. Dr Madhuri Borse, who’s connected to the BJP, posted on social media that she was promoting remdesivir in Dhule.
A prime official from Hetero Healthcare mentioned there was “immense” stress from politicians to divert shares of the drug to them. An official from Kamla Lifesciences mentioned they had been receiving calls each day from politicians of all events, asking for remdesivir.
— (With Shubhangi Khapre)