Pune firm set to launch oral Covid-19 drug

Pune: The city-based Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited on Friday announced that it had received an Emergency Use Authorisation approval from the Drug Controller General of India for the launch of Molnupiravir, an investigational oral anti-viral drug, for the treatment of mild Covid-19 patients.
The Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited plans to launch Molnupiravir under the brand name Lizuvira in the Indian market in a week. A toll-free helpline would be dedicated to help doctors and patients access the drug, stated the company’s statement released on Friday. The ability to treat Covid-19 with an oral pill instead of an injection or infusion meant more people could be treated faster, experts said.
Earlier the city-based firm had entered into a licensing agreement with Merck Sharpe Dohme to manufacture and supply Molnupiravir to India and over 100 low- and middle-income countries. Molnupiravir is an oral anti-viral drug that inhibits the replication of multiple RNA viruses.