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Punjab govt bans direct purchase of Actemra drug treating COVID-19 patients

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Hassan Hafeez
Hassan Hafeez
Hassan Hafeez is a young journalist associated with ARY News Lahore. As a special correspondent, he covers health, education, civil aviation, excise & taxation stories.

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday banned the direct purchase of Actemra drug treating critically ill Covid-19 patients, ARY News reported.

According to details, the Punjab Health Department has issued directives regarding the purchase of Actemra drug for coronavirus patients.

A letter by health department reads that several private hospitals in Punjab started purchasing COVID-19 drug without taking permission from the government.

If any hospital wants to purchase the drug they have to take approval first from secretary healthcare, reads the letter.

Read More: Anti-viral drug effective against coronavirus, study finds

The Punjab Secretary Healthcare has issued directives to all heads of hospitals across the province.

Last month, the Punjab government approved the use of Actemra, a life-saving drug, for treating critically ill Covid-19 patients in the wake of a sudden rise in the death rate reported by state-run hospitals across the province.

The 400mg injectable drug — an interleukin-6 inhibitor which goes by the generic name of tocilizumab — will be prescribed to patients who develop lung complications and an abnormal level of IL-6 in the blood.

The decision was taken at a meeting called by Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin.

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