Glenmark launches Covid-19 drug FabiFlu for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients, priced at Rs 103 per tablet

Drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Saturday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir, under the brand name FabiFlu, for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 at a price of about Rs 103 per tablet.

Anti-viral drug Favipiravir approved for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients will be commercialised full scale in a week, says drug maker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals.

Glenmark’s Fabiflu is the first oral Favipiravir-approved medication for the treatment of COVID-19 and has been launched in few centers. The Drug Controller General of India approved the anti-viral for 'restricted emergency use' for treatment of mild to moderate cases, which accounts for a majority of COVID-19 infections.

" The drug will be available as a 200 mg tablet at a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 3,500 for a strip of 34 tablets, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said.

FabiFlu is the first oral favipiravir-approved medication in India for the treatment of COVID-19, it said in a statement".

It is a prescription-based medication, with recommended dose being 1,800 mg twice daily on day one, followed by 800 mg twice daily up to day 14, it added.

The tablets are being produced by the company at its Baddi facility in Himachal Pradesh. The drug will be available both through hospitals and the retail channel, Glenmark said.

The Mumbai-based firm had on Friday received the manufacturing and marketing approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Glenmark Life Sciences partners the world’s top 20 generic companies to supply them with a wide range of high-quality, industry-leading Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).

We have steadily built scale in our product offerings & reach. Leveraging our state-of-the-art laboratories and manufacturing locations, we supply over 130 molecules to more than 700 customers across 65 countries. From product selection & development to commercialisation, we judiciously blend science, technology and economics to stay ahead of the curve.

In highly-regulated markets, our APIs have enabled several first-to-file offerings by our customers. We have a proven ability to spot and make the most of business opportunities ahead of the competition thus giving an edge to our customers in a competitive market. Glenmark Life Sciences is an independent unit of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, a 40 year-old integrated, research-driven, global pharmaceutical organization committed to enriching lives.

The company has developed the API and the formulation for FabiFlu through its in-house research and development team, Glenmark said.

“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 at an online press conference.