Under the brand name FabiFlu, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19. This Mumbai-based drug firm received manufacturing and marketing approval under the emergency category from India’s drug regulator, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). FabiFlu is the first oral Favipiravir-approved medication for the treatment of Coronavirus patients. Favipiravir has been used in Russia, Japan and China to treat such patients and has been proved successful.
A strip containing 34 tablets of 200mg each has been priced at ₹3500, which makes Rs. 103/tablet approximately. These are made available at hospitals and chemist shops and are strictly sold under medical prescription. The recommended dose is 1,800 mg twice on day one, followed by 800 mg twice daily up to day 14. This medication offers a rapid reduction in viral load within four days and provides faster symptomatic and radiological improvement. It is been observed that Favipiravir has shown clinical improvement of up to 88% in mild to moderate Coronavirus patients. The medicine can be administered to patients between the age group of 18 and 75.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairman and MD Glenn Saldanha said that “This approval comes at a time when cases in India are spiraling like never before, putting a tremendous pressure on our healthcare system”, and further added, “Glenmark will work closely with the government and medical community to make FabiFlu quickly accessible to patients across the country.”