At Rs 2,800, Zydus Cadila launches India's cheapest remdesivir drug for Covid-19

Drug firm Zydus Cadila launched India's cheapest generic version of antiviral drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19. Priced at Rs 2,800 for a 100 mg vial of the injection, Remdac is the most cheapest Remdesivir brand in the country.

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“Remdac is the most affordable drug as we would like to enable patients to have access to this critical drug in the treatment of Covid-19", said Dr Sharvil Patel, the Managing Director of Cadila Healthcare Limited.

The company said the drug will be made available across India through the group's strong distribution chain reaching out to government and private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients.

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Through the course of this pandemic, the company’s efforts have been focused on supporting people in this healthcare crisis, whether it is through developing vaccines, ramping up production and distribution of critical drugs and therapies, making diagnostic tests available or exploring new treatment options, Patel added.

In June this year, Zydus had entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc to manufacture and sell Remdesivir, the investigational drug, which has been issued an emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to treat patients suffering from severe symptoms of Covid-19.

The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for the drug has been developed and manufactured at the group's API manufacturing facilities in Gujarat.

Zydus Cadila's vaccine candidate ZyCov-D is now in phase II of the clinical trials.

Shares of Cadila Healthcare, the listed entity of the group, were trading at Rs 387 apiece on BSE, 0.44 percent higher against their previous close.

(With inputs from PTI)