NEW DELHI : NEW DELHI: A Jubilant Life Sciences company has launched the covid-19 treating drug remdesivir under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ at ₹4,700 per vial in the Indian market. The usual course of treatment with remdesivir involves six vials of the drug.
Jubilant Generics Ltd, an arm of the Noida-based pharmaceutical firm, will make the drug available to over 1,000 hospitals providing covid-19 treatment in India through its distribution network and will also provide a 24-hour helpline to enhance access to the drug during the pandemic.
The Jubilant Group’s non-profit organisation, Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, will also launch programmes to increase access to the drug for patients below the poverty line and to front line paramedical staff.
“We have launched the product at affordable prices and strive to make it available in sufficient quantities to meet high demand for the drug in the Indian market and in other countries," chairman and managing director Shyam S. Bhartia and co-chairman Hari S. Bhartia said in a company release.
Jubilant Life is the fourth company to launch its licensed generic brand of remdesivir after Hetero Drugs, Cipla and Mylan.
Gilead Sciences Inc, the innovator of remdesivir, had signed a pact in May with Jubilant Life, Cipla, Mylan, Hetero Drugs, as well as Pakistan-based Ferozsons Laboratories Ltd, for licensing the generic of its novel drug and its sale in 127 low and middle income countries, including India. It later signed the same pact with four other companies to improve access to the crucial drug.
US-based Gilead has given the firms the license on a royalty-free basis till an alternative drug is discovered or till the World Health Organizations declares the end of its ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ for the drug. It has also given the companies freedom to price their products.
On July 20, Jubilant received approval from the Drug Controller General of India to manufacture and market the antiviral drug for restricted emergency use in India for the treatment of severe COVID-19. ‘JUBI-R’ will require to be administered intravenously in a hospital setting under the supervision of a medical practitioner.
The promoters of HT Media Ltd, which publishes Mint, and Jubilant Life Sciences are closely related. There are, however, no promoter cross-holdings.
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