Mylan Pharma to launch Remdesivir in India at Rs 4,800 for COVID-19 treatment

Pharmaceutical company Mylan NV has reportedly said on July 6 that it has secured the approval of Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for the manufacture of its Remdesivir 100mg/vial for restricted emergency use in India for the treatment of COVID-19. This comes as the part of DCGI’s accelerated process of approval to meet the need of the hour as the coronavirus outbreak continues to tighten its grip on the nation. India has now become the third-most virus-hit country in the world with 697,413 total infections and 19,693 casualties as per Johns Hopkins University tally.  

The company has received DCGI’s green light for the use of the anti-viral drug on hospitalised patients of COVID-19 both adults and children and showcase severe symptoms of the disease. Mylan said that the medicine will be launched under the name ‘DESREM’ in India from July and the price is set at INR 4,800 which according to the company is 80 per cent less than the branded version of the same drug, that has been made available to other governments.

The pharmaceutical company has elaborated that the drug would be manufactured in India itself utilising the ‘world-class injectables facilities’ that also manufacture the same product for the United States and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for good manufacturing practices. Moreover, India is also the first nation among the 127 developing countries to approve the use of Mylan’s Remdesivir. 

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‘Significant milestone for Mylan’

Mylan president Rajiv Malik has hailed the DCGI’s approval as ‘significant milestone for Mylan’ as well as for the global public health along with the people suffering from the fatal COVID-19. Developing the drug in India will enhance the speed of treatment of coronavirus infected along with the company’s global operations and scientific capabilities to serve the patients. 

Rajiv Malik was quoted on Mylan's official website saying, “Our approval is a significant milestone for Mylan, for the global public health community and, most importantly, for patients who are battling this pandemic. Developing DESREM™ and bringing it to patients in India with such unprecedented speed is a testament to the strength of our global operations and scientific capabilities and our commitment to serving patients who continue to rely on us during this time.” 

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