Hetero recalls a batch of its remdesivir brand Covifor after side effects

Hyderabad-based pharma company Hetero has recalled a batch of its remdesivir brand Covifor after some patients in Raigad district of Maharashtra developed side effects like fever and chills after being administered the drug.
 
In a letter dated April 29, Hetero Healthcare Director N Bose asked all hospitals, institutions, and stockists to withhold and not use Covifor batch no HCL21013 supplied from the company’s C&F agents due to technical reasons until further instructions. Maharashtra’s Foods & Drugs Administration Minister Rajendra Shingane had said around 90 patients in Raigad district of Maharashtra, who were administered remdesivir doses of a particular brand, developed severe side effects.

 
Following this, the state government had imposed a temporary suspension on its use. Patients developed chills and fever which were addressed by the district medical authorities. The patients are stable now, Shingane had said. He could not be reached for a comment. Hetero said the company decided to recall the batch as a precautionary measure.
 
The batch was distributed in Maharashtra and no other incident has come to the company’s notice, it said.