Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. has launched Avigan (Favipiravir) 200 mg tablets in India for treating patients showing mild to modeate symptoms of Covid-19.
The launch is part of the global licensing agreement with Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd. that grants the Indian drugmaker the exclusive rights to manufacture, sell and distribute the tablets in India, MV Ramana, chief executive officer of branded markets (Indian and Emerging Markets) at Dr. Reddy's, said on Wednesday.
"The need for high quality and efficacy, affordability and better disease management are key priorities for us,” Ramana said. “We believe that Avigan would provide an effective treatment option to the Covid-19 impacted patients in India.”
Avigan (Favipiravir) has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for the treatment of patients showing mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19. It comes in a complete therapy pack of 122 tablets with a two-year shelf life. To ensure accelerated access to the medicine, Dr Reddy's has initiated a free home delivery service in 42 cities and set up a helpline centre from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Monday to Saturday.
According to Ramana, Dr. Reddy's as of now is importing the drug from Japan and will soon manufacture it locally. The company has already approached regulators of two or three countries, including the U.S., seeking approvals to sell the drug in those nations.
The Hyderabad-based drugmaker will launch another Covid-19 drug, Remdesivir, in the first week of September this year.
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