India is also running out of key medicines for sick patients, including sedatives needed for patients on ventilators. Remdesivir, used to treat covid-19, is in short supply as well. Fortunately, the drug most helpful in severe disease, dexamethasone, is widely available in India, but given significant rates of counterfeit and substandard medicines in India, the United States may be able to help ensure adequate supplies of high-quality dexamethasone. The United States also has ample stockpiles of monoclonal antibodies, which have yet to be widely used here. These treatments are most effective early in the disease course, so the Food and Drug Administration should work with Indian drug regulators to determine whether and how they could be best used in India.
