Drug major Lupin on Wednesday announced the launch of its Favipiravir drug under the brand name ‘Covihalt’ for the treatment patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at ₹49 per tablet in India.

Favipiravir has received authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use, Lupin said in a regulatory filing.

Its Covihalt dosage strength has been developed keeping in mind convenience of administration, it stated, adding that the drug is available as 200 mg tablets in the form of a strip of 10 tablets, and priced at ₹49 per tablet.

Lupin President – India Region Formulations (IRF) Rajeev Sibal said the company believes that it can leverage its expertise in managing widespread community diseases like tuberculosis to proactively reach patients across India and ensure access to Covihalt through its strong distribution network and field force.

On August 4, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries had launched Favipiravir under the brand name “FluGuard” for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, at ₹35 per tablet in India.

Shares of Lupin were trading 0.32% higher at ₹943.70 apiece on BSE.