17 Jan 2022
“INDIAN PHARMA EYES AFFORDABLE ANTIVIRAL MEDICINES TO TREAT COVID-19”
A myriad of domestic pharma companies are eyeballing antivirals as the emphasis shifts to treating COVID-19 through oral pills.
The coronavirus is headed to the endemic stage in some of the countries, giving these new drugs a potentially huge market, along with the ability to be a game changer for mild to moderate infections. With strategies to manufacture the antivirals in the country, they will be obtainable at a fraction of the global price.
Recently, Pfizer announced optimistic results for its COVID-19 oral antiviral candidate, Paxlovid, which significantly lessens hospitalization and death. Pfizer plans to deliver a ‘safe and effective’ oral antiviral soon at an affordable price across the globe.
Cipla says Pfizer antiviral is of interest to the company, while Dr Reddy’s and Sun Pharma’s spokespersons also said that they are open to all opportunities and it is an “ongoing endeavour” to accelerate access to new drugs for Covid-19 treatment in India.
All these companies have also tied up with Merck for its antiviral pill, which is expected to be launched at a cost-effective price after the governing nod in India. Industry experts expect it to be around Rs 1200-1500 for the five-day course.
The past two months have brought extremely good news in the fight against Covid -19, after the successful ongoing vaccinations campaigns, there was an enormous downfall in new cases and now the emergence of the antiviral oral pills is another decent news on board against this stretched battle. The wide availability of oral drugs could make Covid-19 less lethal, making it less risky for people to return to in-person work and to their normal lives.