3 Covid-19 Drugs In India: Availability, Price & All You Need To Know

Indian pharma companies launched three drugs for the emergency care of Covid-19 patients. Here's more about Fabiflu, Cipremi and Covifor.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: Three drugs have been launched in India for the emergency care of Covid-19 patients. On Saturday Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launched the antiviral drug Favipiravir under the name Fabiflu, and it was followed by the launch of the anti-viral drug remdesivir by pharma companies Cipla and Hetero under the brand name Cipremi and Covifor respectively.  While the antiviral drug will be available for ‘restricted emergency use in India’, the drug Remdesivir is  manufactured by Gilead Sciences an American biopharmaceutical company and it was also used during the Ebola outbreak. Last month the U.S. FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Gilead Sciences Inc. for emergency use of remdesivir.But the US body has also said in a statement ‘while there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with COVID-19, the investigational drug was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some patients.’ Here’s all you want to know about these drugs Fabiflu

• The drug will be used for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients
• The medicine will be in oral form
• Favipiravir can be used in COVID-19 patients with co-morbid
• conditions such as diabetes and heart disease with mild to moderate COVID 19 symptoms.
• According to a statement by the company the drug can cause a rapid reduction in viral load within 4 days. It has also shown clinical improvement of up to 88% in COVID-19 mild to moderate COVID 19 cases.
• The drug will be available as a prescription-based medication.
• It will cost Rs 103 per tablet
• The company statement said that the recommended dose is 1800 mg twice daily on day 1, followed by 800 mg twice daily up to day 14

Cipremi

• According to a statement by the Mumbai based company Cipla, the anti-viral drug remdesivir demonstrated faster time to clinical recovery in hospitalised patients as compared to placebo in 1063 patients over 60 centres across U.S., Europe and Asia.
• Cipremi will be available as remdesivir lyophilised powder for injection 100 mg
• It will be available through Government and open market channels
• Pricing of the drug has still not been disclosed by the company
• It will also be available for restricted emergency use

ALSO READ| Centre Amps Up Financial Powers Of Defence Forces, Provides Rs 500 Cr For Critical Weapons And Ammunition Covifor

• Hyderabad-based pharma company Hetero has also launched Remdesivir
• The company will be supplying Remdesivir in 127 countries, including India
• According to a statement by the company ‘under the EUA, both 5-day and 10-day treatment durations are suggested, based on the severity of the disease. The authorization is temporary and does not take the place of the formal new drug application submission, review and approval process
• Media reports say that the drug will be for Rs 5,000-6,000 for a 100-mg dose