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HomeNews ReportsNCP leader Nawab Malik's false claims about Remdesivir supply punctured by Kirit Somaiya: Details

NCP leader Nawab Malik’s false claims about Remdesivir supply punctured by Kirit Somaiya: Details

Somaiya asserted that so far, Malik has not provided any evidence, or named any of the export units that have allegedly been prevented by the central government to sell Remdesivir.

Maharashtra’s Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Saturday had launched a scathing attack on the opposition party in Maharashtra accusing them of hoarding Remdesivir- an antiviral drug being used for Covid treatment, by sourcing it from Bruck Pharma. The NCP leader furthered his allegation by repeating the claims in multiple media interactions on Sunday.

In a series of tweets on April 17, Nawab Malik had claimed that 16 export oriented units in India presently have over 20 lakh vials of Remdesivir and since the government of India has temporarily banned exports, these units are seeking to sell these vials in India. Malik claimed that the government of India is restricting these export units from selling and has ordered that only the 7 Pharma companies that are producing the drug should sell it. He called it a decision making crisis, alleging that those 7 Pharma companies are refusing to take responsibility.

Nawab Malik’s tweet

Kirit Somaiya busts his lie, shows Bruck Pharma’s approval letter

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has now come out to diffuse the baseless allegations made by Nawab Malik. Somaiya on Monday tweeted a copy of the official approval letter signed by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration- Maharashtra State, giving a go-ahead to the distribution of the life-saving drug- Remdesivir.

The order dated April 17 to Bruck Pharma by Maharashtra FDA states, “…this is to inform you that the product Remdesivir for injection 100mg/vial manufactured by you…which is granted to you for an export purpose and was planned for an export is hereby allowed to be distributed under emergency and very high demanding situation of Covid-19 pandemic for Maharashtra Government supply or trade in Maharashtra State only, after complying the necessary requirements. Further you are directed to submit the details of production and distribution to this office.”

The approval letter addressed to Bruck Pharma by Maharashtra’s FDA as tweeted by Kirit Somaiya

The letter stated clearly that Bruck Pharma has the state government’s approval to supply the drug and there is no restriction by the central government in this regard. Somaiya asserted that so far, Malik has not provided any evidence, or named any of the export units that have allegedly been prevented by the central government to sell Remdesivir.

This has punctured the NCP leaders’ attempt to spread fake news, create panic in the state and malign the Centre to hide the failures of the state government. 

Congress sympathizer caught spreading fake news

Saket Gokhale, an ardent supporter of the Congress party was also caught spreading the same fake news through his Twitter handle. Unfortunately, his lie and deceit have received over 10k retweets on the social media platform.

Bruck Pharma vs the MVA government

Just after Nawab Malik attacked the Centre regarding ‘step-motherly’ treatment to non-BJP states and interrupting the supply of Remdesivir, the Mumbai Police on Saturday detained and questioned a director of Bruck Pharmaceuticals over the supply of Remdesivir vials. 

As per a statement, the Maharashtra unit of BJP had ordered Remdesivir from the company to be supplied to people in Maharashtra, but as soon as the company readied the product for delivery, the director was detained by the police accusing them of hoarding the drug. 

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, zone 8, Manjunath Shinge in a statement cleared their stance saying, “We had received information from our network that a huge quantity of Remdesivir made in Daman is being stored in Mumbai and will be transported out of the country by Air cargo. We all know how important the Remdesivir medicine is for treating Covid-19 patients and it’s a matter of life and death. There is a shortage of this medicine and its export has been stopped by the government. Hence, we acted swiftly and called the owner of the pharma company just to question him about where the medicine has been stored in the city. We acted in good faith for the larger interest of public.”

The director was later released when Devendra Fadnavis and Praveen Darekar produced the permission letter at the police station.

Praveen Darekar of the Bhartiya Janta Party who had accompanied Devendra Fadnavis to the police station had informed that the state minister for Food and Drugs Rajendra Shingne was in the know of the plan as the procurement and transportation of the drug required state govt’s permission, however, the MVA leaders continued to indulge in mudslinging to divert attention from their inefficiency.

Ayodhra Ram Mandir special coverage by OpIndia

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OpIndia Staff
OpIndia Staffhttps://www.opindia.com
Staff reporter at OpIndia

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