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Maharashtra Remdesivir Row: FDA Commissioner Transferred

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday, 20 April, transferred Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Abhimanyu Kale amid a controversy over the procurement of Remdesivir vials in the state.

2004-batch IAS officer Parimal Singh has succeeded Kale, an official said, news agency PTI reported.

As the chief of FDA, Singh will be responsible for overseeing the procurement of the anti-viral drug, which is used in the treatment of COVID-19, from private companies, as the state sees an unprecedented surge in infections.

What Had Happened?

Kale had signed off a permission dated 17 April, to Bruck Pharma, a private Daman-based pharmaceutical company to supply the drug in Maharashtra.

Since Saturday, the ruling MVA and BJP have been engaged in a political war of claims over the procurement of Remdesivir, with the government alleging that the Centre pressured manufacturers to not supply it to the state of Maharashtra.

The Mumbai Police on Saturday summoned the director of Bruck Pharma to question them as part of a probe into the ‘illegal’ export of the drug in Mumbai.

BJP leader and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and another BJP member Praveen Darekar rushed to the police station, questioning why the director had been called in when the FDA had given permission for procurement of the drug.

Also Read: Centre Waives Import Duty on Remdesivir, Raw Material

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