Swiss giant Roche’s antibody medicine to treat Covid-19 hits Indian market at Rs 59,750 a dose

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Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche’s antibody cocktail, Casrivimab and Imdevimab, is now available in India, the company’s local marketing partner Cipla said on Monday.</p>
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The first batch of this therapy is now available and the second batch will be available by mid-June.</p>
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 “The 100,000 packs of the medicines that have arrived in India can potentially benefit 200,000 patients, Cipla  said.The price for each patient dose [a combined dose of 1200 mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab)] will be Rs 59,750 inclusive of all taxes. The maximum retail price for the multi-dose pack (each pack can treat two patients) is Rs 119,500 inclusive of all taxes.</p>
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Cipla will distribute the product in India through leading hospitals and Covid treatment centres.The Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) had recently granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the antibody cocktail in  India. It has also received a EUA in the US and several EU countries.</p>
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“Roche is deeply committed to supporting the ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, mitigate the deadly second wave and save lives. We are optimistic that the availability of antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) in India can help in minimising hospitalisation, ease the burden on healthcare systems and play a key role in treatment of high risk patients before their condition worsens,” V Simpson Emmanuel, MD and CEO, Roche Pharma India was cited as saying in a statement.</p>
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The antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults and paediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV2 and who are at high risk of developing severe Covid-19 disease and do not require oxygen.“It has been shown to help these high-risk patients before their condition worsens, reducing the risk of hospitalisation and fatality by 70 percent and shortening the duration of symptoms by four days,” the company statement claimed.</p>