Punjab govt okays usage of injection Tocilizumab (Actemra) in public hospitals

LAHORE: In the second phase of COVID-19 drug’s trial-run, Punjab government has approved allocation of Injection Tocilizumab (Actemra) 400 mg for investigational study in public sector hospitals of the province.

The Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&MED), in its notification, directed the administrations of 22 teaching hospitals in Punjab to make immediate arrangements for procurement of 910 injections from M/s Roche for usage on 455 critically-ill patients of coronavirus in these hospitals.

As per details, the department has directed Mayo Hospital, Lahore to procure 120 Tocilizumab (Actemra) 400 mg injections for application on 60 patients; while Lahore General Hospital will procure 50 injections for usage on 25 patients; Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute, Lahore, will procure 50 injections for usage on 25 patients; Services Hospital will procure 50 injections for usage on 25 patients; Jinnah Hospital will procure 40 injections for usage on 20 patients; Sir Ganga Ram Hospital will procure 30 injections for usage on 15 patients; Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, will procure 160 injections for usage on 80 patients in Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, and DHQ Hospital, Rawalpindi; Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan will procure 40 injections for usage on 20 patients; Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Gujrat, will procure 60 injections for usage on 30 patients; Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, will procure 80 injections for usage on 40 patients in Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, Ghulam Muhammad Abad Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad, and DHQ Hospital, Faisalabad; Khawaja Safdar Medical College, Sialkot, and attached hospitals will procure 30 injections for usage on 15 patients; Nishtar Hospital, Multan and Rajab Tayyip Erdogan Hospital, Muzaffargarh, will procure 110 injections for usage on 55 patients; Gujranwala Medical College, Gujranwala, will procure 30 injections for usage on 15 patients; Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, attached hospitals will procure 30 injections for usage on 15 patients; DHQ Hospital, DG Khan, will procure 10 injections for usage on five patients; DHQ Hospital, Sahiwal, will procure 10 injections for usage on five patients; and DHQ Hospital, Sargodha, will procure 10 injections for usage on five patients.