Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on August 4 announced the launch of Favipiravir, under brand name FluGuard, at Rs. 35 per tablet for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in India.

For our comprehensive coverage and latest updates on COVID-19 click here.

Favipiravir is an oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for the potential treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease. The stocks of FluGuard will be available in the market from this week, Sun Pharma said. "With over 50,000 COVID-19 cases being reported daily in India, there is an urgent need to provide more treatment options to healthcare professionals," the CEO of India Business, Sun Pharma, said in a statement. "We are launching FluGuard at an economical price to make the drug accessible to more and more patients, thereby reducing their financial burden. This is in line with our continuous efforts to support India's pandemic response."

Sun Pharma said it will work closely with the government and the medical community to ensure availability of FluGuard to patients across the country. Several other companies have launched the generic versions of Favipiravir so far in India. Last week, Hetero, announced the launch of generic Favipiravir in India under the brand name Favivir at Rs 59 per tablet. Earlier, Cipla announced the launch of Favipiravir in the country under the brand name Ciplenza at Rs. 68 per tablet. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals made its Favipiravir drug available under the brand name FabiFlu at Rs. 75 per tablet.