PremiumThe government has fast-tracked seven companies’ applications to manufacture the critical covid-19 drug remdesivir in India, allowing them to more than double their combined capacity to around 7.8 million vials per month.
Junior chemicals minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday gave a fast-track approval to six manufacturers to set up seven additional sites that could scale up the production capacity of remdesivir by 1 million vials per month.
“Another 30 lakh vials/month production is lined up. This would ramp up the production capacity for manufacturing to around 78 lakh vials/month," the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, which houses the department of Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Additionally, companies have also agreed to lower the price of remdesivir to less than ₹3500 by the end of this week, the statement said.
India’s current capacity of manufacturing remdesivir is 3.88 million, the statement said.
Currently, Hetero Drugs, Zydus Cadila, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Viatris, Biocon subsidiary Syngene International and Jubilant Pharmova manufacture remdesivir in India. The prices of their product varies from ₹899 per vial for Zydus’ Remdac to ₹5,400 for Hetero Drugs’ Covifor.
Dr Reddy’s on Wednesday said that the company has slashed the price of its remdesivir brand Redyx by 50% from ₹5,400 per vial earlier to improve access to the drug, which is used in hospital settings only to treat severe covid-19 patients.
“We are making every effort to ensure that Dr Reddy’s remdesivir, sold under the brand name Redyx, reaches as many patients in India, as possible. We are ramping up production and are also bringing to market a liquid product that is faster to make and supply," the company said in a statement.
Premium Premium Syngene International has also partnered with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries for manufacturing remdesivir, and the latter is also scaling up its capacity. India’s largest pharmaceutical company Sun Pharma manufactures and distributes remdesivir in India in partnership with Syngene.
"Sun Pharma, in collaboration with Syngene, is increasing capacity for Remdesivir to fulfil the increase in demand. Sun Pharma has already increased the production and is now manufacturing Remdesivir at two plants. The decision to add one more manufacturing site was taken recently to help boost our production," a spokesperson for Sun Pharma said.
Zydus Cadila and Hetero Drugs are also scaling up their production of remdesivir, spokespersons for the companies said.
Viatris in a statement said that the company is “partnering with the government to meet the patient needs in India and ensure access to this critical medicine", but did not say whether it is increasing capacity.
Cipla also plans to double its production of remdesivir and is also increasing its capacity to service the increased demand.
Cipla, which is also the exclusive distributor of tocilizumab, is in talks with its innovator Roche, with whom it has an import and marketing pact, to improve the availability of the drug.
Tocilizumab is given to patients in hospital settings for treatment of cytokine storm, a condition where the body’s immune system goes into an overdrive and causes inflammation, and in severe cases organ damage and death.
Jubilant Pharmova declined to comment on the scaling up of production and pricing of their brand of remdesivir.
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