India on Sunday banned the export of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir amid a rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. India recorded 1,45,384 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and a record 1,52,879 new cases on Sunday. The Centre issued an order saying that the ‘export of Remdesivir injection and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) till the pandemic situation in the country stabilizes’.

Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan are the 10 states that have been responsible for 82.82% of the new cases in the country. Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19, especially in adult patients with severe complications.

“India is witnessing a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. As on April 11, there are 11.08 lakh active COVID-19 cases and they are steadily increasing. This has led to a sudden spike in demand for injection Remdesivir used in treatment of Covid patients. There is a potential of further increase in this demand in the coming days,” the government said in a statement.

Only earlier in the day, Union minister Nitin Gadkari directed Sun Pharma’s chief to arrange for 10,000 injections of Remdesivir in Nagpur in view of a shortage of the medicine here in Maharashtra.

The government on Sunday issued a statement asking all domestic manufactures of Remdesivir to display the details of their stockists and distributors on the website, reports ANI.

“All domestic manufactures of Remdesivir advised to display on their website, details of their stockists/distributors to facilitate access to the drug. Drugs inspectors & other officers directed to verify stocks also take measures to curb hoarding & black marketing.”