GUWAHATI: The drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir, under the brand name FabiFlu after receiving manufacturing and marketing approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), as per reports appearing in national media.
Glenmark was the first company to receive the drug regulator's approval to conduct phase-3 clinical trial of Favipiravir antiviral tablets for Covid-19 patients in India.
The drug will cost Rs. 104 per tablet and will be available in a strip of 34 tablets costing Rs. 3,500. The medicine will be available in hospitals and retail outlets.
The recommended dose of the prescription-based drug is 1,800 mg twice daily on day one, followed by 800 mg twice daily up to day 14.
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With an estimate of minimum of 2 strips per COVID-19 patient, the drug manufacture will be able to provide the medicine to about 82,500 patients just in its first month.
The medicine offers rapid reduction in viral load within four days and provides faster symptomatic, radiological improvement and has shown clinical improvement of up to 88 per cent in mild to moderate COVID-19 cases, as per the manufacturer.
Apart from it being useful for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 patients, it can also be used for coronavirus patients with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and heart disease with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms, according to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals.
