Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has received a green signal to evaluate the antiviral drug Favipiravir in clinical trials for treating patients infected with COVID-19. If the test results come out positive, India could get the medicine within the next four months.
China, USA & UK have already started trials for the drugs
In China, Favipiravir is the first approved drug that was approved for the Coronavirus. Since then, countries such as China, the USA, UK, and Italy have already started trials on the drug. With the approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, India has also joined this list of countries.
It has to be noted here that no confirmed vaccine has been developed yet for the cure of Coronavirus in the globe. Plasma Therapy is one solution that is being explored to treat COVID-19 patients.
Around 150 patients will be part of the trials in India
Glenmark developed the drug’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and formulations internally. After the approval is given, the trials would be conducted on patients with mild to moderate infection of the virus.
Around 150 patients will be part of these trials. Participants will be given Favipiravir plus standard supportive care or only standard supportive care. While the treatment duration will be for 14 days, the entire study would be done over 28 days.
Sushrut Kulkarni, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Global R&D executive vice president, said: “After having successfully developed the API and the formulations through its in-house R&D team, Glenmark is all geared to immediately begin clinical trials for Favipiravir on CoVID-19 patients in India. The clinical trial will let us know the efficacy of this molecule. If they are successful, Favipiravir could become a potential treatment for patients.”
If the drug produces a positive result, following the approval from DGCI, the production could start with the approval from the Food and Drugs Authority. In this case, the drug could be available in 4 months.
Source: Free Press Journal
