Covid-19 update: Hetero Healthcare Ltd starts supply of generic Remdesivir

The drug needs to be administered intravenously in a hospital, critical care setting, under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner

Hetero Healthcare Ltd is supplying 60,000 vials of Covifor, generic version of Remdesivir injection in the country from July 13 to 20, the company website said.

Covifor is the first generic brand of Remdesivir, which is meant for treatment of COVID-19 patients that are adults and children, hospitalised with severe symptoms of the disease.

The drug is available in 100 mg vial (Injectable).

It needs to be administered intravenously in a hospital, critical care setting, under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner.

Out of 60,000 vials, Maharashtra, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country will get 12,500 followed by Delhi and Telangana with 10,000 and 9,000 respectively.

According to the website, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will get 7500, 6000, 2000 and 3000 respectively while the rest of the country will get 10,000 injections.

The company has supplied the drug to as many as 166 hospitals in Maharashtra and 53 in the national capital.

When it comes to Telangana , Hetero supplied 14,502 vials, the information available at 11 AM on the site on Wednesday said.

Remdesivir is the only drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) treatment of adult and paediatric patients hospitalised with suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Meanwhile, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, which also has a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc to register, manufacture and sell the investigational drug, Remdesivir in 127 countries including India is yet to get a nod from the DCGI to start making the drug in the country, sources said.