Kerala is investigating whether patients infected with the Nipah virus were administered expired doses of the antiviral drug Remdesivir at a government facility between 2023 and 2025.
Health Minister K Muraleedharan told the Assembly that the state has launched a detailed probe into the matter. A medical board headed by Dr Aravind Reghukumar, head of infectious diseases at Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, will examine whether the expired medication contributed to Nipah deaths or caused adverse effects in other patients.
Procurement Records Reveal Expired Vials in Hospital Stock
The medication traces back to a bulk procurement on June 3, 2021, when Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) bought 3,000 vials of Remdesivir for 42 lakh rupees through its Karunya division. That batch carried an expiry date of May 30, 2023. Hospital inventory reports from Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital show the facility continued drawing from the supply after it lapsed.
Kerala is investigating whether expired Remdesivir was administered to Nipah patients at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. The State Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) last purchased 3,000 vials in June 2021. The stock expired on 30 May 2023. Hospital records… pic.twitter.com/nS59cV6N31
Hospital records indicate that staff used 102 vials from the stock during the 2023-24 period, 34 in 2024-25 and 10 in 2025-26. An additional 50 vials were recorded as used in 2026-27, though Muraleedharan said these had been brought from Bahrain on June 12, 2026, to treat a Nipah patient. State fatality data shows that two of the six cases reported in 2023 were fatal. Out of the 2024 figures, all reported cases ended in fatalities, whereas 2025 saw two out of three recorded cases result in death.
Clinicians Dispute Actual Administration to Fatal Cases
While the state government investigates the inventory logs, a critical care specialist involved in treating some of the cases has contested whether the expired drugs reached those who died. Dr A S Anoop stated that none of the six patients who died between 2023 and 2025 had received Remdesivir from the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. He expressed that investigating the presence of expired drugs within medical facilities remains necessary regardless of whether patients actually received them.
Former health minister K K Shailaja pushed back against the accusations, contending that the United Democratic Front administration sought to damage the reputation of Kerala’s public healthcare framework. She maintained that expired medicines had not been administered to Nipah patients and said the matter should be allowed to proceed through the investigation.
Next Steps in the State Medical Investigation
The directorate of medical education (DME) and the directorate of health services (DHS) have been directed to collect details of patients who received remdesivir during the period. State authorities will review all pertinent factors, which include checking if any drugs were given past their indicated expiration dates.
The conclusions reached by the expert panel will likely shed light on the claims and assist in deciding if additional administrative or corrective measures are necessary.