India, the fourth worst hit nation by the coronavirus, reported a total of 456,183 infections and 14,476 deaths on Wednesday
Hyderabad-based drug maker Hetero, which has approval to manufacture and market generic version of Remdesivir, has sent 20,000 vial of the COVID-19 drug to five states, including Maharashtra and Delhi – the two worst affected states in the country.
Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the other two states that will receive the first batch of the experimental COVID-19 drug. Telangana’s capital city Hyderabad, where the drugmaker is based, will also receive the first consignment of the drug which is being marketed under brand name Covifor in India.
Hetero has set a target to produce one lakh vial of the drug in two-three weeks.
The next batch of the drug will be shipped to Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Vijayawada, Kochi, Trivandrum and Goa.
Apart from Hetero, Cipla has signed licensing agreements with US-based Gilead Sciences Inc, the original manufacturer of remdesivir, to make and sell the drug.
According to reports, a patient will need at least six vial of the drug which will be used for restricted emergency in severe COVID-19 cases. Hetero said 100-milligram vial of the drug will cost Rs 5,400. Meanwhile, Cipla has said its antiviral drug remdesivir would be priced below Rs 5,000.
Regulator Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the generic versions made by Cipla and Hetero for restricted emergency use in severe COVID-19 cases.
The treatment was the first to show improvement in trials on COVID-19 patients and has won approval for emergency use in severely ill patients in the United States and South Korea, and received full approval in Japan. It is yet to be priced in the United States.
This morning, India, the fourth worst-hit nation by the coronavirus, reported a total of 4.73 lakh infections and 14,894 deaths. Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh together account for over 80 per cent of deaths in the country linked to the virus.