NEW DELHI: Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir under the brand name 'FluGuard' for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, at Rs 35 per tablet in India.
The stocks of FluGuard will be available in the market from this week, Sun Pharma said in a regulatory filing.
Favipiravir is the only oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for the potential treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease, it added.
"We are launching FluGuard at an economical price to make the drug accessible to more and more patients thereby reducing their financial burden. This is in line with our continuous efforts to support India's pandemic response," Sun Pharma India Business CEO Kirti Ganorkar said.
With over 50,000 COVID-19 cases being reported daily in India, there is an urgent need to provide more treatment options to healthcare professionals, he added.
The company will work closely with the government and medical community to ensure availability of FluGuard (Favipiravir 200 mg) to patients across the country, Sun Pharma said.
Shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries closed at Rs 528.50 per scrip on BSE, up 1.67 per cent from its previous close.