New Delhi: Drug firm Hetero has received approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to manufacture and market antiviral drug Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.
The DCGI has approved Remdesivir for treating adults and children, hospitalized with severe symptoms of the infectious disease.
Hetero’s generic version of Remdesivir will be marketed under the brand name ‘Covifor’ in India, the company said in a statement. It will be available in 100 mg vial (injectable) and has to be administered intravenously under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner in a hospital, it added.
This comes a day after another India-based pharma firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launched antiviral drug FabiFlu for treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
“In the light of increasing Covid-19 cases in India, the approval of ‘Covifor’ (Remdesivir) can prove to be a game-changer given its positive clinical outcomes. Backed by strong backward integration capabilities, we can ensure that the product is immediately made available to patients across the country,” Chairman, Hetero Group of Companies, Dr B Partha Saradhi Reddy was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Hetero Group of Companies MD Vamsi Krishna Bandi told PTI that the price of the drug will be in the range of Rs 5,000-6,000 per dose.
“The drug is being manufactured at the company’s formulation facility in Hyderabad. The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is being made in the firm’s Visakhapatnam facility,” he further said.
The company targets to provide one lakh doses in the next few weeks and ramp up production based on demand, he said, adding that the drug will not be available in the retail channel.
The medicine will be launched in the country under a licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc. to expand access to affordable COVID-19 treatment in low and middle-income countries, the HT report added.
