THD NewsDesk, MUMBAI: Cipla has cracked the code for affordable Covid-19 treatment with their generic version of remdesivir, Cipremi, which has been priced at 4,000 rupees per 100 mg vial. It is one of the lowest-priced versions available globally, as per the company’s claims. The first batch was confirmed on Tuesday, July 8th. Cipla employs the manufacturing company, Sovereign Pharma for the production of the vaccine.
The first batch is priced at 4,000, 800 rupees below the cheapest version launched by their European competitor Mylan this week. Mylan’s Desrem is priced at 4,800 rupees. Privately held Hetero Labs Ltd’s version, Covifor is priced at 5,400 rupees per vial. Remdesivir’s original version was priced by its developer, Gilead Sciences Inc. at $390 per 100 mg vial for affluent nations. Gilead Sciences Inc. signed licensing deals with generic producers to make it universally available.
Cipla India business chief executive officer and executive vice president Nikhil Chopra said via email that Cipremi is to launch commercially on Wednesday. Cipla hopes to supply over 80,000 vials within the first month. Also, this affordable Covid-19 treatment will be available via the government and hospitals only, according to Cipla.
More versions of remdesivir are expected to be launched by several healthcare firms of India. Indian companies form most of the world’s pharmaceuticals. It should be noted that remdesivir is the only approved major treatment for COVID-19 so far.
The exact number of vials of Cipla’s drug required for providing this affordable Covid-19 treatment is yet to be determined. According to Gilead, a typical patient would need about six vials of remdesivir for a five- day course. The number of COVID-19 cases in India has increased exponentially. India is the third nation with the highest number of cases. The total number so far is 700,000. Brazil and the US follow India in the list of the most affected nations.
It is important to make the coronavirus treatment affordable to the general population if the pandemic is to be curbed effectively. To ensure the accessibility of the treatment, this is a rather sizeable beginning.