US seizes Covid drug bound for Mexico

MEXICO CITY: Federal authorities have seized at US airports unauthorised versions of the Covid19 treatment remdesivir destined for distribution in Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

Versions of antiviral remdesivir, without licenses from the drug’s manufacturer Gilead Sciences, were arriving in the US by plane from Bangladesh and India, the paper said.

They were being smuggled by individuals to Mexico for patients willing to pay top dollar for the drugs, the report added, citing people familiar with the investigation.

In recent months, US Customs and Border Protection officers have captured more than 100 shipments that they referred to Department of Homeland Security special agents for further investigation, according to the report.