Pharma major Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories on Wednesday launched Japanese firm Fujifilm Toyama Chemical’s anti-viral drug Avigan (Favipiravir) that has been approved for use in treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in India, at ₹99 per tablet.

It is the original, innovator’s product with a shelf life of two years, CEO-Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) M.V. Ramana said, seeking to justify the price of the imported drug from Japan.

Compared to prices of Avigan in some countries, it still is less, he said. Over the past four months, many drugmakers in the country have rolled out generic versions of Favipiravir and priced them – one even revised downwards – from ₹33 to ₹75 a tablet.

With Dr. Reddy’s expecting to begin manufacturing Avigan in India, once Fujifilm transfers the technology and regulatory approvals for APIs and formulations are in place in about three months, the price might undergo a change. Domestic manufacturing is likely to deliver cost advantages that the company will consider passing on to the customers, he told a virtual media conference, which was also addressed by co-chairman and MD, G.V.Prasad and Global Head of PSAI Deepak Sapra.

The launch follows a licensing agreement between Fujifilm, Dr. Reddy’s and Dubai-based Global Response Aid (GRA) for development, manufacture and sale of Avigan 200mg tablets in all countries except Japan, China and Russia. Several clinical trials to evaluate efficacy and safety of Favipiravir were under way globally.

It will also seek regulatory approvals in many countries, such as that received from Drugs Controller General of India, for Avigan.

The company has launched the product in a pack of 122 tablets and is offering a free home delivery service in 42 cities across the country. It is also planning to develop a higher (400 mg) strength tablet.

To queries, senior executives said the company will launch a generic of Remdesivir, the investigational drug of Gilead Sciences for COVID in September first week.