Covifor: COVID-19 drug price revealed, first 20,000 vials to be delivered shortly
The cost of taking Covifor, the COVID-19 drug Remdesivir, has been revealed by Hyderabad-based Hetero. As per the company announcement, the COVID-19 drug in India will cost Rs 5,400 per vial. Hetero, which has got the DGCI's nod for the usage of the Drug in India, is all set to deliver 20,000 vials of the medicine for being used on the patients.
They will be made available in two equal lots of 10,000 each. One lot will be immediately supplied to Hyderabad, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra while the other lot will be supplied to Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Vijayawada, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Goa within a week to meet the emergency requirements, the company said.
"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 Covid-19 infection rates. We are working closely with the government and medical community to make Covifor quickly accessible to both public and private healthcare settings across the country," said M. Srinivasa Reddy, Managing Director, Hetero Healthcare.
What is Covifor?
Covifor is the first generic brand of Remdesivir which is indicated for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in adults and children, hospitalised with severe symptoms of the disease. The drug is available in 100 mg vial (injectable). It needs to be administered intravenously in a hospital, or critical care setting, under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner.
Covifor is anticipated to play a significant role in bringing down the mortality rates caused by Covid-19, given its proven positive clinical outcomes, the company added.
- The drug will be available in 100 mg injectable form which has to be administered intravenously in a hospital setting under the supervision of a healthcare professional. It is not a drug you can take at home.
- The company is sure about enough stock to cater to the present needs of the medicine.
- The COVID-19 treatment by Covifor will cost not more than 30,000 per patient. Six dozes of the medicine will be given in this timeframe.
