Chennai: In what is being viewed as a boost to Tamilnadu’s fight against Covid-19, the State has received two consignments of Covifor, a generic version of the experimental coronavirus drug remdesivir, from Hyderabad-based Hetero.
Without wasting time, the government has dispatched them to all districts for treatment of critical patients. According to Umanath, managing director, Tamilnadu Medical Services Corporation, “We have ordered a consignment of 42,500 vials of the medicine, the largest number ordered by any State till date.”
He added: “The first consignment has already reached all government hospitals, medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals in districts where there are no medical colleges.”
Earlier this week, Hetero had announced it has received both manufacturing and marketing approval for the investigational antiviral drug Remdesivir, from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to treat Covid-19 patients.
According to the company, Covifor is the first generic brand of Remdesivir which is indicated for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. “Through Covifor, we hope to reduce the treatment time of a patient in a hospital, thereby reducing the increasing pressure on the medical infrastructure, overburdened currently due to accelerating infection rates.”
Hetero said a 100-milligram vial of the drug will cost Rs 5,400. The recommended dose for adults and pediatric patients is 200 mg on Day 1 followed by once daily maintenance doses of 100 mg for five days. The company has set a target to produce one lakh vials of the drug in three-four weeks.