BENGALUR (Reuters) – Hetero Labs Ltd of India obtained regulatory approval to sell its edition of the antiviral drug favipiravir to treat COVID-19, the drug manufacturer said Wednesday, while coronavirus infections in the world’s most affected third country exceeded 1.5 million.
The drug, priced at 59 rupees (79 cents) consistent with the tablet, is approved to treat COVID-19 from mild to moderate and can be obtained at pharmacies starting Wednesday, Hetero said in a statement.
Favipiravir and some other antiviral treatment, remdesivir, have the most sought-after drugs to treat COVID-19 in India, which had already approved drugs as emergency remedies to combat the epidemic.
India reported 48,000 new cases on Wednesday. Worldwide, coronavirus instances exceeded 16.7 million, in more than 659,000 deaths.
The favipiravir was originally developed through Fujifilm Holdings Corp in Japan under the Avigan logo for the influenza remedy.
Hetero is also one of the brands of drugs authorized by the US company Gilead Sciences Inc. to manufacture remdesivir.
Reporting through Sachin Ravikumar; Edited through Saumyadeb Chakrabarty
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