HYDERABAD: The antiviral drug for Covid 19, Favipiravir, was launched by Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Optimus under the name 'Favicovid'.
The prescription drug, an oral medication in the form of tablets, would be used to treat mild to moderate cases. It would be available in seven-10 days at hospitals and retail pharmacies.
“Favipiravir will be manufactured and marketed as an anti-viral drug — Favicovid 200 mg tablets. It will be produced in Hyderabad, at facilities approved by the USFDA and WHO-GMP,” P Prashanth Reddy, director Optimus Pharma, said.
The firm is looking at manufacturing 1 crore tablets a month. “The price is yet to be decided but it will be competitive,” Reddy said.
While Favipiravir is already in the market with makers such as Glenmark, the product is likely to increase the supply. The medicine offers wide-spectrum antiviral cover for RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and can reduce viral load within four days of medication.
While the dosage would be prescribed by doctors, the company recommended 1,800 mg twice a day on the first day of the infection, followed by 800 mg twice a day for 14 days or till test reports return negative.