Affordable medicine to COVID patients! Govt waives import duty on Remdesivir

New Delhi, April 21: Centre on Tuesday took the steps to provide affordable medical care to the Covid-19 patients and waived the import duty on Remdesivir API, injections, and specific inputs. Remdesivir is being used in the treatment of coronavirus.

 

The Ministry of Finance issued the notification regarding this. In the notification, the ministry said, import duty was removed from Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, injection, and specific substances used in the manufacture of Remdesivir.

 

 

 In a notification, the Department of Revenue said "the central government, on being satisfied that it is necessary for the public interest to do, hereby exempts the goods...when imported into India, from the whole of the duty of customs leviable".

 

 

 

 

 

" The central government has exempted Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Beta Cyclodextrin (SBEBCD) used in the manufacture of Remdesivir -- subject to the condition that the importer follows the procedure set out in the Customs (Import of Goods at Concessional Rate of Duty) Rules, 2017 -- and Injection Remdesivir from the whole of the duty of customs leviable on their import into India," the notification said.

 

 

 

 

The items on which the duty has been waived include Remdesivir active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), injection Remdesivir, and beta Cyclodextrin used in the manufacture of Remdesivir. The government's this step will increase the supply of this drug which will reduce the cost of the medicine. The government further said this order will remain in force till 31st October of this year.

 

This decision comes amid when the country is facing a shortage of Remdesivir in the wake of spike COVID-19 infections in the country. It should be noted that seven major pharmaceutical companies have already reduced the maximum retail price (MRP) of the anti-viral drug.

 .

.