Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 (IANS) Remdesivir that expired in May 2023 was administered to patients, including those treated for Nipah infection, at hospitals in Kerala in subsequent years, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan told the Assembly on Thursday, ordering an investigation into whether the use of the expired drug contributed to patient deaths.
Replying to a submission in the Assembly, the minister said the medicine had been purchased in 2021 and had an expiry date of May 30, 2023.
However, records showed that expired vials were used in 2024 and 2025, including for Nipah patients at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
A medical board has been constituted under the head of the Infectious Diseases Department, Dr Aravind, to examine the matter.
The Health Department has also directed the Director of Medical Education and the Director of Health Services to collect details of all patients who received the medicine through the concerned supply channels.
The disclosure raises serious questions about drug storage, expiry monitoring and the checks in place before medicines are administered to patients, particularly those suffering from life-threatening infections.
According to the details placed before the Assembly, the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) had purchased 3,000 vials of Remdesivir for Rs 42 lakh on June 3, 2021. The stock expired on May 30, 2023.
Records cited in the Assembly indicated that 102 vials were used in 2023-24, 34 in 2024-25 and 10 in 2025-26 after their expiry.
The minister also said that 50 vials used during the current financial year had been specially procured from Bahrain on June 12 for a Nipah patient.
The investigation will examine whether the expired medicine had any role in the deaths of Nipah patients and whether other recipients suffered adverse effects.
The disclosure, however, does not establish a causal link between the use of the medicine and any death.
Kerala reported six Nipah cases in 2023, of whom two died.
Both patients reported in 2024 died, while two of the three cases in 2025 were fatal.
The findings of the medical board are expected to clarify the circumstances under which the expired stock remained in use and whether there were lapses in procurement, distribution or hospital-level monitoring.
–IANS
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