Covifor, Cipremi and Fabiflu: Coronavirus Drugs approved by DCGI
COVID-19 cases in India have been rising for many days with total cases rising above 4 lakhs. The situation in the country is intense with the highest number of cases registered each day. Overall deaths of more than 13,000 have been recorded. With the ease in lockdown restrictions, many people are at the risk of getting contaminated. Also, there is no sign of a vaccine to be created anytime soon.
In such a crisis, pharmaceutical companies have brought a sigh of relief with medicines being produced for COVID-19 treatment. Three companies namely Cipla, Glenmark, and Hetero, have been given the permission to launch generic versions of Remdesivir and Favipiravir, anti-viral drugs useful for treating patients affected from Coronavirus. The three medicines are Covifor by Hetero, Cipremi by Cipla and Fabiflu by Glenmark. Let’s take a look at the three medicines that might have a chance to improve the condition of our country.
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Fabiflu by Glenmark
Mumbai-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals will manufacture Fabiflu, the generic version of Favipiravir, an anti-viral drug which has been approved in Japan for treating influenza. It has received approvals from DCGI. It is the first drug that can be taken orally. This is an oral medication that will treat mild to moderate COVID-19 cases. Every patient must have a signed prescription from a healthcare professional before having this medication. It is being tested in 18 clinical trials out of which results from 2 studies have shown positive outcomes. Officials have claimed that the drug shows clinical improvements of up to 88 percent. It will be available for Rs 103/tablet and is priced at Rs 3500 for 34 tablets. The drug price can be reduced further by 20-30 percent.
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Covifor by Hetero
The new drug, termed as Covifor, is the second drug to enter the Indian market by Hetero for the treatment of coronavirus after Fabiflu by Glenmark, which came a day earlier. It had gotten the nod from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch antiviral Remdesivir as a treatment. The drug is injected intravenously and it would cost between 5,000 to 6,000 per dose. A five-day treatment course would not take more than Rs 30,000 per patient as confirmed by Hetero. The drug has to be given under the supervision of a healthcare professional and by prescription only. Hetero is one of India’s leading generic pharmaceutical firms and also the world’s largest producer of anti-retroviral drugs.
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Cipremi by Cipla
Cipremi launched by Cipla is also a generic version of Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, first developed for the treatment of Ebola in 2014. This drug is also injected intravenously under the supervision of a doctor and a consent form must be signed by the patient before taking this drug. Cipla is yet to disclose the price but the drug can be effective in the treatment of COVID019 patients.
The clinical trials of the mentioned drugs are still under process and the effectiveness of the drugs in COVID-19 treatment can be determined after the final results. Patients are advised to take the prescription of doctors before taking any of the drugs for the treatment.
