India Panel Favors Favipiravir, Tocilizumab As It Assesses COVID-19 Treatments

Strides Begins Favipiravir Exports, Glenmark to Start Trials

30 Apr 2020

In a preliminary assessment of repurposed COVID-19 treatments by a government-appointed panel to assess the readiness and potential of a drug to be used in India, favipiravir and tocilizumab have emerged as front-runners. With Strides Pharma exporting the antiviral and Glenmark set to begin clinical trials, even the industry is supporting favipiravir, which is already in studies in Japan and China.

Coronavirus_Boxing_Glove — India Builds Defenses With Multiple COVID-19 Drug Candidates • Source: Shutterstock

India has joined the list of countries which believe that antiviral favipiravir and immuno-modulator tocilizumab hold promise in treating COVID-19, with the first assessment of redirected drugs/drug combinations to treat the disease by a government task force for the repurposing of drugs (TFORD) showing these two candidates leading the race.

While assessing 19 such potential drugs in terms of their readiness for use and potential against the disease, TFORD, set up by the principal scientific advisor to the government K VijayRaghavan to coordinate and support informed decision making, has so far scored eight of them on

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