Welcoming a move to restrict the black marketing of life-saving drugs remdesivir and tocilizumab, the Maharashtra chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked the state government to increase the supply of these injections to at least 10,000 vials per day.

The estimation is based on IMA's analysis of the current scenario and the projected requirement. IMA president Dr Avinash Bhondwe told mid-day that there are around 1 lakh active cases of COVID-19 in the state, out of which around 20,000 people need these injections. "If 30 per cent more patients with negative or inconclusive test reports are added, then around 26,000 patients need them," he said.