Published Oct 29, 2026 | 7:14 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 29, 2026 | 7:15 PM
K Muraleedharan. (X)
Keralam Health Minister K. Muraleedharan on Thursday, October 29, raised serious concerns over the possible administration of expired Remdesivir drugs to patients during the previous LDF government.
Remdesivir is used to treat illnesses including COVID-19 and Nipah.
Responding to a submission by MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan in the Assembly, the minister raised suspicion that the batches supplied through the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) may have been past their expiry date.
A detailed inquiry has been ordered to determine whether the medicine was linked to patient deaths or caused adverse effects.
He said instructions had been issued to collect details of all patients who received Remdesivir under similar circumstances through the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and the Directorate of Health Services (DHS).
KMSCL was the sole agency responsible for supplying the drug to healthcare institutions for emergency treatment and life-saving purposes.
The corporation’s last procurement under the Karunya scheme was made on June 3, 2021, when 3,000 vials were purchased at a total cost of ₹42 lakh.
The medicine had an expiry date of May 30, 2023.
Since Remdesivir was classified as an essential medicine for which there were no bidders, it was procured exclusively through the Karunya scheme.
According to records from Kozhikode Medical College cited by the minister, 102 vials were used in 2023-24, 34 in 2024-25 and 10 in 2025-26.
The minister said it was suspected that the Remdesivir administered to patients in 2023, 2024 and 2025 may have been expired.
However, the 50 vials recorded as used in 2026-27 were sourced from Bahrain on June 12, 2026, and administered to a Nipah patient, the minister clarified.
The possibility of a link between the suspected use of expired medicine and deaths among Nipah patients is now under scrutiny.
Nipah deaths recorded over the three-year period include two out of six cases in 2023, both reported cases in 2024, and two out of three cases in 2025. The sole Nipah case reported in 2026 ended in recovery.
A medical board led by Dr Aravind, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, will conduct the investigation into the deaths. It will examine whether the deaths were linked to the suspected administration of expired Remdesivir and whether other patients who received the drug suffered any adverse effects.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
