Cipla prices its generic remdesivir at Rs 4,000 per 100 mg vial, below rivals

The drug will be available through the government and hospitals only

Cipla has priced its generic version of remdesivir, Cipremi, at Rs 4,000 ($53.34) per 100 mg vial, the Indian drugmaker said, making it among the lowest-priced versions of the COVID-19 treatment available so far globally.

Cipla had earlier said pricing would not exceed Rs 5,000. Recently Sovereign Pharma, which is manufacturing and packaging the drug for Cipla, said it had dispatched the first batch.

Cipla India business chief executive officer and executive vice president Nikhil Chopra said in an emailed statement that the company was launching Cipremi commercially and aims to supply over 80,000 vials within the first month.

The drug will be available through the government and hospitals only, the company said.

Sources had told Reuters that the first batch of 10,000 vials had been printed with a price of Rs 4,000, Rs 800 below the cheapest option, launched by European competitor Mylan this week.

Privately held Hetero Labs’ version, Covifor, costs Rs 5,400 per vial while Mylan prices Desrem at Rs 4,800.

With coronavirus cases increasing, several more of the big India-based healthcare firms which make much of the world’s pharmaceuticals are expected to launch competing versions of remdesivir, the only major treatment so far approved for COVID-19.

Remdesivir’s developer, Gilead Sciences, has priced the original version at $390 per 100 mg vial for wealthier nations while signing licensing deals with generic producers to make the treatment widely available.