Cipla Prices Remdesivir At 4000 Rupees – The Cheapest COVID-19 Drug Available
The Indian drugmaker Cipla said on Wednesday that they had priced Cipremi, the generic version of remdesivir at Rs 4,000 ($53.34) per 100 mg vial, making it the cheapest COVID-19 treatment available globally.
Earlier, Cipla had announced that the pricing would not be more than 5,000 rupees. Sovereign Pharma, who is manufacturing and packing the drug for Cipla, said on Tuesday that they had dispatched the first batch.
In an emailed statement, Nikhil Chopra, the business chief executive officer and executive vice president of Cipla India, said that the company would be supplying more than 80,000 vials within the first month, launching commercially on Wednesday.
But the company said that the drug would be available only through hospitals and government. The cheapest treatment so far was the one launched by European competitor Mylan this week. But the first batch of 10,000 vials by Cipla is priced at 4000, which is 800 rupees lower that of Mylan.
Mylan’s Desrem is priced at 4,800 rupees, while Covifor, by privately held Hetero Labs, is priced at 5,400 rupees per vial.
As COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing in India, competitive versions of
remdesivir, the only major treatment so far approved for COVID-19, are expected to be launched by several big India-based healthcare firms that make much of the world’s pharmaceuticals.The original version of remdesivir by Gilead Sciences Inc is priced at $390 per 100 mg vial, which is made available for the wealthier countries.
India currently has 700,000 cases and is the third worst-hit country in the world behind Brazil and the United States.
Starting Tuesday, the company would send Cipremi to stockists, said an employee at Cipla who declined to be named as he is not authorized to talk to media.
So far, it’s not clear how many vials of Cipla’s remdesivir would be required for a full treatment course. A patient might typically need six vials of the drug for a five-day course, said Gilead.
Editor’s Note; Cipla prices remdesivir at 4000 rupees, Cheapest COVID-19 drug available.
