The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has directed the drug manufacturers Cipla, Hetero, Ranbaxy and Strides Acrolabs to ensure smooth supply of medicines following the rising number of deaths due to swine flu as also to meet soaring demand for medicines.

Demand for medicines, chemists say, has soared 10 times in the past couple of weeks. The H1N1 virus has already claimed over 620 lives across the country and the sudden panic has resulted in a shortage of medicines.

In a letter to pharma companies, NPPA states, “It has been reported to this office that the medicines used for swine flu oseltamivir, zanamivir and rimantadine are in short supply in the country. The non-availability of these vital drugs might lead to higher risk of complications to the patients infected with H1NI virus. You are therefore requested to maintain adequate stocks of medicines and ensure smooth supply of the same for providing relief to the patients affected with swine influenza virus.”

NPPA has further mandated that stocks of medicines to be rushed to areas where short supply is reported and also submit the stock and supply position, drug wise, on monthly basis.

With the number of reported cases exceeding 9,000, it has become difficult to ensure adequate supply of drugs to the market. To enhance the level of preparedness, 60,000 additional oseltamivir medicines and 10,000 N-95 masks are being procured. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has floated a tender for 10,000 diagnostic kits. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has set a cap of Rs. 4,500 on swine flu tests carried out in private labs.

The ministry statement said various labs had been identified to provide additional testing facilities. In Delhi, a new testing facility has been set up at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and a 24x7 monitoring cell is operational at the NCDC. Teams of experts from the ministry have visited Telangana, Gujarat and Rajasthan to extend technical support and two such teams have been sent to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The government data shows swine flu deaths have more than doubled compared to the previous year taking the toll to 624. A total of 9,311 people got infected,. In 2014, 218 swine flu deaths were reported from a total of 937 cases, pan-India. Gujarat and Rajasthan have reported the maximum number of deaths at 155 and 183 respectively. Madhya Pradesh has reported 81 deaths due to the H1N1 virus followed by Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.