Drug firm Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir under the brand name 'Favivent' for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at a price of Rs 39 per tablet. The tablet will be available in 200 mg strength in the form of a strip of 10 tablets, it added.
The drug will be manufactured at a pharmaceutical plant in Telangana with the highest safety and manufacturing protocols in place, Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals said in a statement.
On Thursday, pharma company Brinton Pharmaceuticals had said it will be selling Favipiravir under the brand name 'Faviton' at a maximum retail price of Rs 59 per tablet.
Pharma major Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is already selling Favipiravir under the brand name 'FabiFlu' at a price of Rs 75 per tablet.
Earlier this year, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved the use of Favipiravir -- an antiviral drug developed in Japan and commonly used for treating influenza -- for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in India.
"Given the current scenario of grave health concerns and economic challenges surrounding COVID-19 in India, if we as a pharmaceutical company cannot make a significant positive difference to the society, our company's very existence is inconsequential," Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals Chairman and MD Ashish U Bhuta said.
The company hopes that the easy accessibility and affordable price point of an effective treatment such as Favivent will offer Indian citizens a timely, much-needed therapeutic solution, he added.
Shares of Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals closed at Rs 391.90 per scrip on BSE, down 1.05 per cent.
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