Home / Health / Kerala Probes Expired Remdesivir in Nipah Cases
Kerala Probes Expired Remdesivir in Nipah Cases
29 Oct
Summary
- A medical board will investigate expired Remdesivir use in Nipah patient deaths.
- The last Remdesivir purchase by KMSCL was on June 3, 2021, expiring May 30, 2023.
- Nipah patient fatalities were recorded in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The Kerala Health Minister, K. Muraleedharan, announced that a medical board will be established to investigate the potential link between expired Remdesivir and the deaths of Nipah patients. This board will also examine any side effects experienced by other patients who received the drug. The investigation was prompted by concerns raised in the Keralam Assembly regarding the administration of expired medication.
The antiviral drug Remdesivir, used for COVID-19 and Nipah patients, was procured by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (KMSCL) for emergency use. The last procurement by KMSCL occurred on June 3, 2021, with the drug expiring on May 30, 2023. Reports from Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, suggest that Remdesivir vials used between 2023 and 2027 may have been expired.
Tragically, Nipah cases have resulted in fatalities in recent years. In 2023, two out of six reported Nipah cases led to death. The following year, both of the two reported cases were fatal. In 2025, two out of three reported cases also resulted in death, highlighting a severe mortality rate. The sole Nipah patient reported in 2026, however, recovered.
