Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has unveiled Gilead Sciences’ Remdesivir, an investigational drug used in COVID-19 treatment, under the Redyx brand in India at ₹5,400 per 100mg vial.
This follows a licensing pact under which Gilead has granted DRL right to register, manufacture and sell Remdesivir in 127 countries, including India. The Drugs Controller General of India has approved Remdesivir for restricted emergency use in COVID-19 patients hospitalised with severe symptoms.
“The launch reaffirms our commitment to bringing in critical medicine for patients suffering from COVID-19 in India,” M.V. Ramana, CEO, Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets), DRL, said.
Dr. Reddy’s thus became one of the few Indian drugmakers to offer Remdesivir and Japanese firm Fujifilm Toyama Chemical’s anti-viral drug Avigan (Favipiravir), which is also used in COVID-19 treatment. Last month it had unveiled Avigan, approved for use in treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in India, at ₹99 per tablet.
Another release on Wednesday said Dr. Reddy’s had launched over-the-counter Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel 1%, the store brand version of Voltaren Arthritis Pain in the U.S. market.
It partnered with Encube Ethicals to bring to market this product. Terming it an important addition to the company’s pain/analgesics portfolio of OTC products, CEO, North America Generics Marc Kikuchi said the launch “represents our continued commitment to the private label OTC space.” Voltaren is a trademark of Novartis Corporation.
Voltaren Arthritis Pain brand had total U.S. retail sales of approximately $44 million since launch in May 2020, the company said.
