HYDERABAD: Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs has been given approval by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to manufacture and market the antiviral drug remdesivir. The drug was recently authorised as an investigational therapy under emergency medical use against the novel Coronavirus by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). The DCGI also gave a similar approval to another pharmaceutical company, Cipla.
According to a media statement issued by Hetero Drugs, the drug has been granted approval by DCGI for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19 in adults and children, hospitalised with severe symptoms of the disease and has to be administered intravenously in a hospital setting under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner. Speaking to the Express, the company officials said the drug which will be sold under brand name ‘Covifor’ will be delivered within one week. The drug will be delivered only through government channels and will be supplied to only government hospitals as Covid-19 treatment is being done mostly at government hospitals and the drug is still listed by the ICMR as an investigational therapy.
The drug will be available in the form of an injectable medicine in 100mg vials and each vial is expected to cost between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000. The final price is yet to be decided. The ICMR in its ‘Clinical Management Protocol: Covid-19’ has recommended a 200 mg dose through IV on day 1, followed by 100mg through IV daily for five days.