Malacañang on Friday assured the public that the Department of Health (DOH) had enough funds to procure remdesivir and tocilizumab—treatment medicine for Covid-19 patients—after the agency reported decreasing stocks.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque said that despite the shortage, the DOH could directly source remdesivir and tocilizumab from foreign suppliers without going through government procurement procedures, thanks to the two “Bayanihan” laws.
“Inaasahan po natin na iyong pinabilis na procurement process ang magiging lunas dito sa kakulangan ng ilang mga gamot na kinakailangan natin para gamutin iyong mga nagkakasakit ng Covid-19.”
The DOH on Thursday said stocks of the two medicines were running low, just as the country was seeing a rapid rise in Covid-19 infections.
The shortage prompted the DOH to release P5 million to each DOH hospital in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon “to ensure unhampered supply of Covid-19 therapeutics.”
The Food and Drug Administration earlier allowed the use of remdesivir and tocilizumab for the treatment of Covid-19 patients through a compassionate use license.
A study recently published in the JAMA Network Open journal presented evidence that remdesivir could help Covid-19 patients battle the illness.
The DOH has assured the public that country has enough stocks of dexamethasone. John Ezekiel J. Hirro