Two more pharma companies, Zenara of Hyderabad and the Mumbai-headquartered BDR, have joined a growing list of drugmakers launching anti-viral drug Favipiravir versions for use in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in India.
On Wednesday, the two companies said the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given them approval to manufacture Favipiravir tablets as a treatment option for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19.
Favizen
Formulation maker Zenara Pharma, which is a fully owned subsidiary of Biophore India Pharmaceuticals, said it will be selling the product under the brand name Favizen. The tablets are being manufactured at its USFDA approved facility in Hyderabad. The company is expected to announce the price of the product shortly, sources said.
Co-founder and managing director Jagadeesh Babu Rangisetty said “we are in talks with various institutions to make the tablets available at discounted or no cost to underprivileged patients.”
Zenara has in-house API and thus not dependent on any imports for the production. This feature is bound to ensure stability, rapid production and availability of the product in the Indian market, he said.
A statement from Zenara said the company is in talks with multiple state institutions and several hospitals to ensure Favizen is readily available for patients in need. It has the manufacturing and distribution capabilities to improve access to this treatment globally and already begun exports to the Middle East and Latin American countries, the company said.
BDFAVI
BDR Pharmaceuticals said it has received DCGI approval to manufacture Favipiravir to treat mild to moderate patient with Covid-19 symptoms under the brand name BDFAVI.
This is the second product used in the treatment of COVID-19 that the company is launching. “This approval comes after being one of the first companies to develop Remdesivir in the country,” a release from BDR said.
Chairman and managing director Dharmesh Shah said in four months the company has launched the two products to meet the increasing patients needs.
According to sources, BDFAVI tablets will be priced at Rs.63 each. The company has come up with a patient assistance programme that will allow patients/institutions with limited resources to access the product at a subsidised rate.
Companies that have launched Favipiravir versions include Glenmark, Hetero, Sun Pharma and Cipla. The price varies from Rs.35-75 per tablet. Favipiravir is a generic version of Japanese firm Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co’s Avigan, which has been approved in Japan for the treatment of novel influenza virus infections, and whose clinical trials on COVID-19 patients is underway.
