The Odisha government on Saturday allowed retail sale of drugs being used for the treatment of Covid-19.

A detailed notification to this effect was issued by the Directorate of Drugs Control, Odisha.

The notification said fevipiravir tablet and remdesivir injectable formulation will be sold under the prescription from medical specialists only.

According to the notification, informed consent of the patient or his representative in the prescribed form is mandatory before initiating the treatment. “The drug will be made available to the patient/his representative only through in-house retail chemists attached to hospitals/nursing homes having valid drug licenses,” it said. It added that in no case remdesivir is to be sold directly to any patient or his representative.

The retail chemist shop will retain a mandatory photocopy of the prescription, photocopy of the written consent of the patient or his/her representative, residential proof of the purchaser and his/her contact details before the supply of the medicines as a record for verification in addition to fulfilment of other conditions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules.

“Where there is no in-house retail chemist shop in the hospital/nursing home, the local drugs inspector will identify one or more retail chemist shops through whom the drugs will be made available,” the notification said.

The retail chemist will have to furnish details of purchase or sale of the above drugs to the respective range drugs inspector on a weekly basis.