Covid-19 Antibody Cocktail Casirivimab & Imdevimab Launched In India At Rs 59,750/Dose

Antibody cocktail - Casirivimab and Imdevimab - will be marketed in India by Cipla and the second batch will be made available by mid-June. 

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New Delhi: Drug major Roche India on Monday launched its first batch of antibody cocktail - Casirivimab and Imdevimab - against COVID-19 in India at Rs 59,750 per dose.

In a statement, the company said: "Each of the 1,200 mg dose of the drug contains 600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab. The price of each dose will be Rs 59,750. The maximum retail price for the multi-dose pack will be Rs 1,19,500. Notably, each pack can treat two patients."

According to reports, the antibody cocktail recently got an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in India by the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO), Earlier, it has also received a EUA in the US and several EU countries. It is to be noted that the drug was given to then US President Donald Trump when he contracted COVID-19 last year. 

Roche, in a joint statement with Cipla further announced that the drug will be marketed in India by Cipla and the second batch will be made available by mid-June. 

"The first batch of the antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is now available in India while a second batch will be made available by mid-June. In total they can potentially benefit two lakh patients as each of the one lakh packs that will be available in India offers treatment for two patients, " the joint statement issued by Cipla and Roche said. 

The antibody cocktail is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV2 and who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease and do not require oxygen.

The cocktail drug has been shown to help these high-risk patients before their condition worsens, reducing the risk of hospitalisation and fatality by 70 per cent.

(With ANI Inputs)