CSIR suggests cap on remdesivir price

NEW DELHI: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has suggested regulating price of the experimental Covid-19 medicine remdesivir used in hospitalised patients who are on oxygen support on the basis of a cost analysis of the API used in the formulation.

The proposal states that the price of the drug can come down substantially and CSIR has submitted its recommendations depicting scope for sizeable reduction in cost of treatment with regard to the drug used for treating severely ill patients, sources said.

“The proposal to cap the price of the drug is under active consideration by the drug price regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA),” an official told TOI.

Remdesivir is currently priced in the range of Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 per vial and the total cost for the drug during treatment is estimated between Rs 40,000 and Rs 55,000. The drug — originally developed by American firm Gilead — has been launched in India by a number of generic drug makers who entered a licensing agreement with the drug’s patent holder.

Remdesivir is in high demand after the intravenously-administered medicine helped to shorten hospital recovery time in a clinical trial and is now part of the standard treatment protocol for Covid-19 suggested by the health ministry.