A cost-effective drug developed by CSIR
Mumbai based pharmaceutical firm Cipla is set to launch COVID-19 drug Favipiravir, developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). This off-patent anti-viral drug, Favipiravir, originally discovered by Fuji Pharma in Japan, has shown promise in clinical trials for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, especially in mild and moderate cases.
Favipiravir has been developed under a cost-effective process using locally available chemicals to synthesize this Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and transferred the technology to Cipla.
“Cipla has scaled up the process in their manufacturing facility and approached DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) for permission to launch the product in India. Given that DCGI has given restricted emergency use for Favipiravir in the country, Cipla is now all set to launch the product to help patients suffering from COVID-19,” the statement said.
Director of CSIR-IICR S Chandrashekhar said the technology is very efficient and makes it affordable and allows Cipla to make large quantities of the product within a short span of time.
CSIR Director General Shekhar C Mande observed that they are working with the industry in developing quick solutions and products for mitigation of Covid-19 and this partnership with Cipla is an example of how CSIR is committed to bringing repurposed drugs soon.
Russia is trying to beat
According to top a Russian official, “Russia could roll out a vaccine against Covid-19 as soon as September” while denying accusations that hackers working for the country’s intelligence agency tried to steal sensitive data from rival researchers in the U.K., U.S., and Canada.
“Russia may be one of the first to produce a vaccine against the backdrop of the billions that are being invested in the U.S. and all the pharma companies working on it,” said Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive of the government-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)
