Delhi, Maharashtra Receive First Batch Of Experimental COVID-19 Drug

Maharashtra and Delhi, by now confirmed to be the two worst-affected states in the country from coronavirus, is among the five states to receive 20,000 vials of the experimental COVID-19 drug Remdesivir.

Hyderabad-based drugmaker Hetero has the approval to manufacture and market the generic version of the experimental COVID-19 drug, as per an NDTV report.

Apart from Telangana’s capital Hyderabad, where the drugmaker is based, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu will receive the first batch of the drug, which is being marketed under the brand name COVIFOR in India.

NDTV reported Hetero as saying that a 100-milligram vial of the drug will cost Rs 5,400. The company has set a target to produce one lakh vials of the drug in three-four weeks.

After these five states, the drug will be sent to Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Vijayawada, Kochi, Trivandrum and Goa.

PTI reported that the drug will be available only through hospitals and government outlets. It will not be retailed, PTI reported quoting Hetero Group of Companies MD Vamsi Krishna Bandi.

“Backed by strong backward integration capabilities, we can ensure that the product is immediately made available to patients across the country,” Mr Bandi told PTI.

rug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the generic versions made by Cipla and Hetero for restricted emergency use in severe COVID-19 cases.

The treatment was the first to show improvement in trials on COVID-19 patients and has won approval for emergency use in severely ill patients in the United States and South Korea, and received full approval in Japan. It is yet to be priced in the United States.