FabiFlu: India's first COVID-19 drug launched, priced at Rs 103 per tablet

Drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, under the brand name FabiFlu, has launched an antiviral drug Favipiravir, to cure patients with mild to moderate coronavirus at a price tag of about Rs 103 per tablet.

According to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, the medication will be available in the form of a 200 mg tablet and will be at a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 3,500 for a strip of 34 tablets.

With this FabiFlu also becomes the first oral favipiravir-approved medication for the treatment of COVID-19 in India, it further stated.

As per the drug firm, FabiFlu is a prescription-based medication -- with a recommended dose being at 1,800 mg twice daily on day one, followed by 800 mg twice daily up till day 14.

"Considering a minimum of two strips per patient, Glenmark will be able to provide FabiFlu for about 82,500 patients in the 1st month itself."

"We will be closely monitoring the evolving situation and basis the situation, we will work to scale and meet the healthcare needs of the country," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said when asked about their manufacturing capacity of the drug.

Speaking on the topic if the company is looking for tie-ups with hospitals for the supply of the drug, the Mumbai-based firm said: "Our effort right now is to prioritise manufacturing to ensure FabiFlu is accessible to all patients who need it."

"Glenmark will certainly make a consideration to support private and public healthcare facilities and arrange for other suitable options as per the need and in time."

It was back on Friday (June 19), when the company received the seal of approval of manufacturing and marketing of the drug from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

"This approval comes at a time when cases in India are spiralling like never before, putting a tremendous pressure on our healthcare system," MD Glenn Saldanha, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairman, said.

Saldanha also added how the company will be working with the government and medical community to produce FabiFlu swiftly and make it accessible to patients across the country.

"We chose to initiate work on Favipiravir, as it has proven in-vitro activity against SARS CoV2 virus, which is the virus responsible for COVID-19."

"Second is it has a wide therapeutic safety margin for Covid-19 at the dose that we administer," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals President India Formulations, Middle East and Africa Sujesh Vasudevan said during an online press conference.

Favipiravir shows a magnificent improvement of up to 88% in mild to moderate coronavirus cases and has already been approved in Japan since 2014 to treat novel or re-emerging influenza virus infections.

Within just four days, Favipiravir also offers a quick reduction in viral load and offers faster symptomatic and radiological improvement.

As the coronavirus cases in India continue to spread rapidly, India is now just behind the United States, Brazil, and Russia in terms of the total confirmed cases.

It is, therefore, the biggest epicenter of the coronavirus disease pandemic in Asia and the fourth worst-affected nation in the world.

With over 14,800 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count on Monday crossed the 4.25 lakh-mark, while the death toll has almost touched the 13,700-mark as well.