COVID drug: Zenara Pharma unveils generic of Pfizer Paxlovid at Rs 5,200 per box in India
The tablet which will be sold under the brand name Paxzen.
Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based Zenara Pharma, a fully owned subsidiary of Biophore India Pharmaceuticals, has announced that the company has launched Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir tablets in a combi pack as a treatment option for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19.
It is to be noted that Zenara Pharma has received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to manufacture and market this product last month. The tablet, which will be sold under the brand name 'Paxzen', is being manufactured at Zenara's USFDA and EU approved state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad.
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The product will be sold at a Maximum Retail Price of Rs 5,200 per box, equivalent to one full course of treatment per patient, and contains 20 Tablets of Nirmatrelvir 150ml and 10 Tablets of Ritonavir 100mg.
Dr. Jagadeesh Babu Rangisetty, Co-founder and Managing Director at Zenara Pharma, says, "We have launched this product in India with an aim to bring the best treatment options against COVID within reach of patients in our country. Our product, Paxzen, has been proven equivalent to Paxlovid through a Bio Equivalence study, based on which we have received the approval from the regulatory authorities"
This product's breakthrough approval in the US was given by the USFDA in Dec 2021 and is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults. It was the first oral pill that has been approved by USFDA and with a better safety profile than subsequently approved oral therapies and can be self-administered at home, when prescribed. Studies also indicate that the risk of death or hospitalization is reduced by 89%* when taken in a timely manner against COVID.
Dr Rangisetty adds, "We have ensured that the product will be available to all patients by placing the product with our distribution partners spread across India and their details can be accessed through our dedicated help line number – 72079 28889 and also through our website. Patients or hospitals may call or whatsapp on this number for availability and we will ensure that they can access Paxzen at the earliest."
Read also: USFDA authorizes pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer COVID drug Paxlovid
