Lupin Launches Covid-19 Drug 'Covihalt' For Mild To Moderate Symptoms; Check Price, Dosage & More

The 200 mg tablets available in the form of a strip of 10 tablets has been priced at Rs 49 per tablet. The firm said that the dosage strength has been developed keeping in mind convenience of administration.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: Pharma major Lupin on Wednesday announced the launch of its Favipiravir drug in the country under the brand name ‘Covihalt’ for treatment of mild to moderate symptoms of a COVID-19 patient. In a statement released on Wednesday, the drug major stated that Favipiravir has received authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use.  The 200 mg tablets available  in the form of a strip of 10 tablets has been priced at Rs 49 per tablet. The firm said that the dosage strength has been developed keeping in mind convenience of administration. Commenting on the development, India Region Formulations (IRF) President Rajeev Sibal said, “Lupin has always been committed to the fight against life-threatening diseases. COVID-19 is a global pandemic and in India we are seeing a surge in the number of cases on a daily basis. In these tough times, it is our duty to support the nation in fighting this pandemic and ensuring affordable drugs are made available for impacted patients. "Covihalt - Lupin’s Favipiravir drug, is a vital step in this direction. We believe that we can leverage our expertise in managing widespread community diseases like TB to proactively reach patients across India and ensure access to Covihalt through our strong distribution network and field force," Rajeev Sibal added. Lupin has fifteen manufacturing sites, seven research centers, more than 20,000 professionals working globally. The company is the third largest pharmaceutical company in the U.S. by prescriptions and in India by global revenues. The Company invests 9.6 % of its revenues on research and development. The pharma firm has launched the drug at the time when India's COVID-19 situation continues to worsen with each passing day. Country's COVID-19 tally breached the 19-lakh mark on Wednesday, with 52,779 cases being reported in a day while recoveries rose to 12,82,215 including 51,706 in past 24 hours. According to the Union Health Ministry data, there are 5,86,244 active cases of Coronavirus infection in the country presently taking the total count at 19,08,254. The recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has gone up to 66.31 per cent. Around 857 patients succumbed to Coronavirus infection in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 39,795.