Sun Pharma Launches Covid-19 Drug Favipiravir In India At Rs 35 Per Tablet
Favipiravir is the only oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for patients with mild to moderate symptoms, Sun Pharma says.
Drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has launched Favipiravir for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of Covid-19, at Rs 35 per tablet in India. Called FluGuard, the drug will be available in the market from this week.
Favipiravir is the only oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for potential treatment of patients with mild to moderate symptoms of the Covid-19 disease, said a statement by Sun Pharma. "We are launching FluGuard at an economical price to make it accessible to more and more patients thereby reducing their financial burden,” the company, India’s largest drugmaker, said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. “This is in line with our continuous efforts to support India's pandemic response.”
The company said it will work closely with the government and the medical community to ensure availability of FluGuard (Favipiravir 200 mg) to patients across the country.
As per last reported prices Sun has priced the drug cheaper than competitors. Cipla Ltd. will also launch Favipiravir in the country under the brand name Ciplenza in the first week of August priced at Rs 68 per tablet. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., the first to launch the drug in India, has priced ‘FabiFlu’ at Rs 75 per tablet (reduced from an earlier price of Rs 103 per tablet). Among others, Jenburkt Pharma launched Favipiravir at Rs 39 per tablet.
On Tuesday, Sun Pharma shares rose 1.67% to Rs 528.50 apiece on the BSE while the benchmark Sensex gained 2.03% to end the day at 37,687.91 points.