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Hetero Gets Drug Regulator’s Nod To Launch Covid-19 Drug

The drug will be available in 100 mg vial which has to be administered intravenously.

A health worker injects a person waiting in line to receive financial aid from the government with an influenza vaccine in El Salvador. (Photographer: Camilo Freedman/Bloomberg)
A health worker injects a person waiting in line to receive financial aid from the government with an influenza vaccine in El Salvador. (Photographer: Camilo Freedman/Bloomberg)

Drugmaker Hetero on Sunday said it has received approval from the Drug Controller General of India to launch investigational antiviral drug Remdesivir for the treatment of Covid-19.

The company has received the manufacturing and marketing approval for Remdesivir from the DGCI for the treatment of Covid-19, it said in a statement.

The company's generic version of Remdesivir will be marketed under the brand name 'Covifor' in India.

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, it added.

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"In the light of increasing Covid-19 cases in India, the approval of 'Covifor' (remdesivir) can prove to be a game-changer given its positive clinical outcomes." Hetero Group of Companies Chairman B Partha Saradhi Reddy said. "Backed by strong backward integration capabilities, we can ensure that the product is immediately made available to patients across the country."

The company is prepared for ensuring enough stock to cater to the present needs, he added.

The drug will be available in 100 mg vial (injectable) which has to be administered intravenously in a hospital setting under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner, Hetero said.

The product is being launched under a licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc to expand access to Covid-19 treatment in low and middle-income countries, it added.