Govt waives import duty on COVID-19 drug Remdesivir

In a move to reduce the acute shortage of anti-viral drug Remdesivir, the govt has waived off the customs duty on imported Remdesivir injections and the drug's active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) till October 31.

The total duty was over 16% after IGST and social welfare surcharge. Union Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted the notfication stating " Imports of Remdesivir API, injection and specific inputs have been made import duty free. This should increase supply and reduce cost thus providing relief to patient."

The injectable drug has been repurposed for Covid-19 treatment and was cleared by the country's top drug regulator for restricted emergency use in June 2020 on patients with severe complications.