Cipla, Roche launch covid-19 antibody cocktail at ₹59,750 per dose
Premium- An antibody cocktail is a mixture of two or more unique biological drugs that act like human antibodies in the immune system and help fight off infection
NEW DELHI: Roche Pharma India and Cipla on Monday announced the launch of the first batch of Regeneron’s antibody cocktail of casirivimab and imdevimab in India at ₹59,750 per dose. The drug will be used to treat high-risk non-hospitalized covid patients.
Cipla will distribute the two-dose pack at ₹119,500, the two companies said in a joint statement. The second batch will be made available by mid-June.
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“We are optimistic that the availability of antibody cocktail in India can help in minimizing hospitalisation, ease the burden on healthcare systems and play a key role in the treatment of high-risk patients before their condition worsens," V. Simpson Emmanuel, managing director and chief executive officer of Roche Pharma India, said in the statement.
An antibody cocktail is a mixture of two or more unique biological drugs that act like human antibodies in the immune system and help fight off infection.
Roche will import the antibody cocktail, developed by Regeneron, which will then be marketed and distributed in India through a strategic partnership with Cipla.
The Mumbai-based drugmaker is the exclusive importer and distributor of tocilizumab, patented by Roche India.
In total, they can potentially benefit 200,000 patients as each of the 100,000 packs that will be available in India offers treatment for two patients, Roche and Cipla said.
The launch of the antibody cocktail follows an emergency licence from the Drugs Controller General of India, V.G. Somani earlier this month for the treatment of non-hospitalized covid patients who are at high risk of getting a severe disease.
The antibody cocktail had come into focus in October last year when the former US president Donald Trump was prescribed this on contracting covid-19. A month later, the drug received US Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorisation.
Apart from US FDA’s EUA, DCGI’s authorisation was based on results from its phase 3 global trial of 4,567 high-risk non-hospitalized covid patients, which showed the antibody cocktail reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 70% compared to a placebo and also shortened the duration of symptoms by four days.
Cipla chief financial officer Kedar Upadhye had earlier this month told Mint in an interview that the drug is important for expanding their portfolio of covid-19 drugs—which is already the largest among Indian pharmaceutical companies—but the antibody cocktail is unlikely to contribute significantly to the company’s revenue going forward as he expects that it is only to be prescribed in a limited manner. Overall, covid-19 drugs contributed about 4-5% to Cipla’s consolidated sales in the previous financial year, with the proportion higher for its India’ sales, he had said.
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