Informist, Tuesday, May 11, 2021

By Sunil Raghu

--Cadila Health source: Virafin price set at 11,995 rupees/dose
--Virafin single dose therapy for COVID patients

--Virafin can cut oxygen support need in COVID patient

--Cadila source: Started Virafin injection despatches

--CONTEXT: DGCI gave emergency OK to Cadila Health for Virafin in April

AHMEDABAD – Cadila Healthcare Ltd has begun supply of Virafin, its single dose injection, which will help cut the need for external oxygen support to COVID-19 patients, a source told Informist.

Drug Controller General of India had approved Virafin for restricted emergency use in April, in wake of an acute shortage in medical oxygen.

Virafin can potentially aid frontline medical workers to cut the usage of other anti-viral drugs which are being given to patients on a symptomatic basis.

The drug has been priced at 11,995 rupees per dosage.

The company has started despatches of the drug to institutions treating COVID-19 patients.

Cadila Health plans to make 50,000 doses in May and scale it to nearly a million in June. It will manufacture the drug at its plant in Ahmedabad.

During the clinical trial, on usage of the drug, the patient needed lesser supplemental oxygen. This indicates that the drug can control respiratory problems and failure, which has been one of the major challenges in the second wave of COVID-19, the company had said in an earlier filing.

There have been several reports of patients dying on streets due to the unavailability of ICU beds and acute scarcity of medical oxygen. The lack of medical oxygen has become a grave issue, with the government seeking help from foreign nations, such as Germany.  

In the phase III trial, the injection showed clinical improvement in patients in seven days.

At 1436 IST, shares of Cadila Health were up 1% at 630.95 rupees on the National Stock Exchange.  End

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

Edited by Nidhi Chugh

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