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Mylan to launch generic remdesivir version in India at Rs 4,800 per 100 mg vial

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Mylan's remdesivir version, to be called Desrem, for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed severe incidences of COVID-19 in adults and children, the company said in a statement.

July 06, 2020 / 05:00 PM IST

Drugmaker Mylan NV said on Monday it would launch its generic version of Gilead Sciences Inc's COVID-19 treatment remdesivir in India this month at 4,800 rupees ($64.31) per 100 mg vial, as infections surge in the world's third worst-hit country.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Mylan's remdesivir version, to be called Desrem, for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed severe incidences of COVID-19 in adults and children, the company said in a statement.

Mylan's version comes after two Indian drugmakers, Cipla Ltd and privately-held Hetero Labs Ltd, launched their generic versions of the drug.

Cipla will price its version, Cipremi, at less than 5,000 rupees, while Hetero has priced its version, Covifor, at 5,400 rupees.

Gilead has priced remdesivir at $2,340 per patient for wealthier nations. It has agreed to send nearly all of its supply of the drug to the United States over the next three months, stirring concerns about availability elsewhere.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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Remdesivir is in high demand after the intravenously-administered medicine helped to shorten hospital recovery times in a clinical trial. On Friday, it got conditional approval from the European Commission for use in severe COVID-19 patients.

Mylan said it was working toward expanding emergency use access for patients in the 127 low- and middle-income countries where it is licensed by Gilead Sciences to do so.

Gilead has signed licensing agreements with India's Dr.Reddy's Laboratories Ltd , Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd , Syngene International Ltd and Zydus Cadila, listed as Cadila Healthcare Ltd , to make and sell remdesivir.

Cases of the novel coronavirus in India stood at 697,413 on Monday, health ministry data showed, while the death toll stood at nearly 20,000.

Reuters

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