Significant COVID-19 Impact on Favipiravir in Pharmaceutical Industry | Data Br

Posted by swarajya on April 8th, 2021

COVID-19 Impact on Favipiravir in Pharmaceutical Industry

OVERVIEW

A novel corona virus, SARS-CoV-2, appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, spreading much faster than its predecessors and the virus has already infected millions of patients worldwide as of April 19, 2020. As the scope of the current COVID-19 outbreak has reached proportion of pandemics, major international efforts in public health are underway to control the outbreak. However, as definitive treatments for confirmed COVID-19 are yet to be identified, there is considerable interest in repeating existing antiviral drugs for use against COVID-19.

Favipiravir triphosphate is a purine nucleoside analogue. This acts as a competitive inhibitor of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. It has activities against influenza A and B, including oseltamivir- and zanamivir-resistant influenza viruses, several antimicrobial antiviral drugs, such as SARS-CoV-2. Favipiravir is approved for influenza strains that do not respond to standard antiviral therapy in Japan.

IMPACT ON PRICE

A large number of challenges are being faced by various market players due to the coming of the novel coronavirus, one such issue is the uncertainty surrounding the impact of covid-19 on favipiravir demands. Due to the increased demand of favipiravir for coronavirus treatment and stiff competition between the market players the rice of favipiravir has decreased.

According to the data available even as physicians share the benefits of Favipiravir for mild to moderate COVID-19 patients, a number of general launches are anticipated to intensify the price war that has already begun., Last month, Glenmark Pharma has receive a regulatory approval for Favipravir which has lowered its tablet price to Rs 75 each from Rs 103 earlier, anticipating market competition. 8 other favipiravir brands are at least expected to be launched in the upcoming days. At a price of Rs 59 per tablet, the Hetero Pharma became the third company to launch its generic version of Favipiravir, called Favivir. Previously, Mumbai-based Jenburkt Pharma put the low cost brand to date, Favivent, at Rs 39 per tablet. The company has started stockpiling in Mumbai and aims to expand its share of Maharashtra before it expires nationwide.    

With the increasing demand and increasing sale of favipiravir drugs, the competition between the favipiravir drugs manufacturers has increased market, leads to the fall of favipiravir drugs price.

IMPACT ON DEMAND

The Corona virus zone is the result of various markets around the world. This is the cause of the widespread closures and isolation that are affecting world economic activity.

In Japan Favipiravir which is an oral antiviral drug approved for the treatment of influenza. It specifically inhibits RNA polymer, which is necessary to copy the virus. Japan has begun a Phase 3 clinical trial. In the United States, a phase 2 study will involve approximately 50 patients with COVID-19, in collaboration with Brigham and the Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In India, a Phase 3 trial began combining two antiviral drugs, favipiravir and umifenovir, in May 2020.    

Figure1: Avigen (Generic Name: Favipiravir) Mechanism of Action Read in detail…

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swarajya

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swarajya
Joined: April 7th, 2021
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