Remdesiver, Favipiravir antiviral drugs no game changers: Experts

New Delhi: With pharmaceutical companies launching generic versions of Remdesivir and Favipiravir for COVID-19 treatment, medical experts on Monday said it was a "positive development" in the fight against the pandemic, but cautioned against regarding the antiviral drugs as "game changers".

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has launched the antiviral drug Favipiravir, under the brand name FabiFlu, for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 cases, while Cipla and Hetero have received approvals from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch Remdesivir under the brand names Cipremi and Covifor respectively.

Cipla Ltd on Sunday announced the launch of Cipremi.

Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS Delhi, said till date no effective treatment or vaccine to combat coronavirus has been found.

Dr Vikas Maurya, Director, Department of Pulmonology and Sleep Disorders, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, said drugs like Remdesivir and Favipiravir were "no game changers" as they were used for other diseases and have now been found useful in some way in treating COVID-19 patients.

"It is not as if all those taking these drugs will recover," he told PTI.

It has been found that they help reduce viral load but are not game changers, Maurya said.

"But yes, it is a positive development as it is better to have something in hand than nothing. There is also a psychological impact that something is being given which could have some benefit," he said.

Dr Rommel Tickoo, Associate Director, Internal Medicine, Max Healthcare, also echoed Maurya''s views.

Whatever studies that have been done on these drugs are very limited so they cannot be called "game changers", but their launch is a positive development as it is better to have something than nothing, he said.

"On both the drugs we have limited data, whatever evidence we have is mostly anecdotal. There is no specific treatment that we have and we cannot wait for all the trials to be over as many lives will be lost. So that is why emergency restricted use is being approved," he told PTI.

"It is difficult for us to categorically state the efficacy of the drugs, they do have the potential, but we need more data," he said.

Noted city-based lung surgeon Dr Arvind Kumar said he does not believe that any of these antiviral drugs like Remdisiver or Favipiravir will be game changers.

"If at all ''game changer'' can be used, it is for dexamethasone which has shown a significant reduction in mortality and is available cheaply," said Kumar, who works at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here.

Dr Avi Kumar, Consultant, Pulmonologist, Fortis Escort Heart Institute, said drugs such as Favipiravir and Remdisiver "cannot be called game changers" as they are used as a supportive treatment.

"When given early, they can benefit patients but there is no guarantee that the patient will improve or not," he said.

"It is definitely a positive development that we will be using antivirals, but it is not a game changer as that term can be used for something which you give and the patient recovers," Kumar told PTI.

Drug firm Hetero had on Sunday said it has received approval from regulator DCGI to launch investigational antiviral drug Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.

The drug will be available in 100 mg vials (injectable) which has to be administered intravenously in a hospital setting under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner, it said.

Asked about the price of the drug, Hetero Group of Companies MD Vamsi Krishna Bandi told PTI it will be in the range of Rs 5,000-6,000 per dose.