Fabiflu reaches Vellore to treat emergency cases
A week after the Centre gave its nod to use Favipiravir tablets for emergency treatment of COVID 19 cases, the medicine – each of 200 milligrams sold under the brand name Fabiflu – reached Vellore on Tuesday.
Vellore
According to M Kalaiarasu, presently the only wholesale pharmaceutical distributor to get the tablets from Chennai, the tablets in strips of 34 cost Rs 35,00 a strip. It would be sold by licensed druggists and medical shops only on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner.
“The doctor will prescribe this medicine only after the patient is explained the attendant risks involved and then both the doctor and the patient or his legal representative have to sign an informed consent, based on which the prescription will be issued,” Kalaiarasu added.
“The form is a precautionary measure taken by Glenmark, the manufacturers, as the form provides them protection from legal action if something goes wrong,” explained doctors.
Inquiries have already started pouring after the word got around that a drug for COVID 19 was now available in Vellore.
FAVIPIRAVIR REMDESIVIR
- Recommended for treatment of mild COVID-19 cases
- Have been in use in Japan for several years for treatment of flu
- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launched the antiviral drug under brand name FabiFlu
- Price: Rs 103 per tablet
- Oral medication
- As many as 5 vials can be used in moderately ill patients
- Cipla, Hetero received approvals from DCGI to launch it under brand names Cipremi and Covifor respectively
- Will be available in 100 mg vials (injectable), which have to be administered intravenously in a hospital setting under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner
- Price range: Rs 5,000-6,000 per dose
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