New Delhi : Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today announced that it has launched FluGuard at a price of Rs. 35 per tablet, for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of Covid-19 in India. Favipiravir was originally developed by Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp under the brand name Avigan for treating influenza.
Favipiravir is the only oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for the potential treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 the pharma company said.
Commenting on the launch, Kirti Ganorkar, CEO of India Business of Sun Pharma, said, “With over 50,000 Covid-19 cases being reported daily in India, there is an urgent need to provide more treatment options to healthcare professionals. We are launching FluGuard at an economical price to make the drug accessible to more and more patients thereby reducing their financial burden. This is in line with our continuous efforts to support India’s pandemic response.”The company will work closely with the government and medical community to ensure availability of FluGuard patients across the country, Sun Pharma said. The stocks of FluGuard will be available in the market from this week.Favipiravir and another anti-viral treatment, remdesivir, have emerged as the most sought after medicines to treat COVID-19 in India, which had already approved the drugs as emergency treatments to fight the outbreak.
Other Indian drugmakers developing or selling favipiravir include Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Cipla and Hetero Labs.