Global Response Aid, Dr. Reddy’s to sell anti-viral drug Avigan in India for Covid-19

August 20, 2020: Global Response Aid (GRA) and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories will begin selling the anti-viral drug Avigan in India following a recent decision by government health authorities to approve the drug's active ingredient, Favipiravir, for treatment of patients infected with Covid-19. 

In July, GRA and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories have signed a deal with FujiFilm for global production and distribution of Avigan, an anti-viral drug being tested in several countries as a potential treatment for Covid-19.

Avigan was developed by FujiFilm and has licensed GRA and Dr. Reddy's to manufacture, distribute and sell the drug globally. Clinical trials of the drug have been conducted and are underway in the United States, Japan, China, the Middle East and other countries, where it is being used to reduce fevers and shorten recovery time in patients who receive Avigan in the early stages of infection with Covid-19.

In India, GRA and Dr. Reddy's will look to distribute Avigan through private healthcare providers opting for a premium quality drug. The initial supply will contain the original Avigan, made in Japan. 

"Generic versions of Favipiravir are available on the market in India," said Eric ten Kate, head of Life science, GRA. "Our focus is getting branded Avigan, the premium version of the drug, to providers and patients who prefer the original formulation, which has a higher potency, fewer impurities and five times the shelf life. Our goal is to provide the safest, most effective version of Favipiravir available anywhere."

Mitch Wilson, CEO of GRA said, "This is an important milestone in the regulatory approval process for Avigan. We are expecting further approvals in the near future and will be announcing multiple manufacturing locations globally to meet the growing demand."

"The diligent and efficient work GRA and Dr. Reddy's are conducting is the reason we chose them as our partners," said Junji Okada, president, FUJIFILM Toyama.

In July, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation of India's Directorate General of Health Services approved Favipiravir for distribution, sale and use in treatment of Covid-19 patients. 

Avigan was approved for manufacture and sale in Japan in 2014 as an influenza anti-viral drug. It has generally been used only when there is an outbreak of novel or re-emerging influenza virus infections in which other influenza anti-viral drugs are either not effective or insufficiently effective. 

Agility has launched GRA, a Dubai-based company established to procure certified diagnostic, testing and protective products and offer services such as a contact-tracing app and mobile testing used in the detection, treatment and prevention of Covid-19.