Glenmark Launches Favipiravir Medicine For COVID-19
After receiving permission from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launched the antiviral drug Favipiravir for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 cases.
After receiving permission from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launched the antiviral drug Favipiravir for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 cases. They have said, Favipiravir can be used for coronavirus patients with comorbid conditions such as diabetes and heart disease with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. The medicines provide relief from the symptoms in four days. The medicine has been launched under the brand name FabiFlu. It will be available as a 200 mg tablet at an MRP of ?3,500 for a strip of 34 tablets. It will only be given if the patient has a prescription from a doctor. Only two strips will be allowed per patient.
The tablets are being produced by the company at its Baddi facility in Himachal Pradesh. Glenmark said the drug will be available both through hospitals and medical shops. FabiFlu is the first oral Favipiravir-approved medication in India for the treatment of COVID-19. Dr Vikas Maurya, Director, Department of Pulmonology and Sleep Disorders, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi said, “ This drug was already being used in Japan for influenza(Flu). They have been using it in COVID-19 patients also. Even China was using it and Russia had also given permission in May to use it. Antiviral drugs like Remdesivir and Favipiravir are not specific to COVID-19 but were being used for influenza. Studies found that there was some benefit of Favipiravir in COVID-19 treatment and that is why it has now been launched in India as well. It is not a magic bullet as it is not the only thing we have to give. This is not a specific drug made for COVID-19 and has been found to be useful, but how much it will be useful we will have to see. Real efficacy will be known when administered on a large scale.”
