New Delhi, February 21 – Fearing shortage of preventive vaccines and medicines of swine flu, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has reached out to pharmaceutical companies to increase the supply to check the spread of infection.
People are thronging government and private hospitals for preventive vaccination which is mounting pressure on hospitals to maintain ample stock of medicines for the viral infection.
Drug Controller General of India Dr G.N. Singh has intimated seven pharmaceutical companies to ensure the availability of vaccines. Dr Singh has written to companies Serum institute of India, Panacea Biotech Ltd, Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Novartis Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Glaxo Smithkline Pharmaceutical Ltd, Sanofi Pasteur India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai and Delhi and Abbott India Ltd.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has also clarified that any dealer who has a licence to sell, stock or distribute the drugs specified under the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, is authorised to sell the formulation of Oseltamavir Phosphate used for the treatment and prevention of swine flu.
The body has enlisted more than 2,400 retailers and wholesale sellers for swine flu medicines sales across the country. Apart from vaccines, the government on Friday also ordered additional testing kits and Oseltamivir drugs to tackle the virus.
The Union Health Ministry is also procuring 2,000 swine flu vaccines especially for the healthcare workers who are at maximum risk of catching swine flu from infected patients.
“We have placed orders for procuring swine flu testing kits worth Rs.84 lakh and Tamiflu tablets and syrup estimated to be Rs.30 lakh to keep stocks of medicines. There is no dearth of medicines and hospitals were equipped to deal with the disease,” said a senior Union Health Ministry official.
A team of experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been asked to study patterns in mortality by collecting random samples. States like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra and Telangana have recorded an upsurge in number of swine flu cases and the figure of those inflicted with H1N1 virus stands at 11,955 till February 19.
Swine flu deaths in the country continued unabated with 40 more people perishing as the toll reached 743 and the number of H1N1 cases inched towards the 12,000 mark on Friday.
-INDIA TODAY
