Beximco's corona drug Remdesivir will costk 6,000 per vial
One of Bangladesh's major drugmakers, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, will start production this month of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, which includes displayed promise in fighting the brand new coronavirus, a senior company executive said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.
Remdesivir, a drug produced by Gilead Sciences, has grabbed attention among the most promising treatments for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus which has killed more than 250,000 people.
U.S. drug authorities granted emergency use authorisation the other day, paving the way for its broader use in U.S. hospitals, after Gilead provided data showing the drug had helped COVID-19 patients.
The business plans to price the drug, which is given via intravenous infusion, at between 5,000 and 6,000 takas per vial ($59-$71/per vial), Beximco's Chief Operating Officer Rabbur Reza told Reuters, adding an individual might need ranging from 5 and 11 vials.
"We will only know exactly just how much an individual needs once studies are complete," Reza said. "We do expect the Bangladesh government will attempt to cover a number of the price of the drug."
Production will commence this month, in the beginning for domestic use, Reza added.
Beximco's pricing indicates a span of remdesivir treatment could cost between $295 and $781 per patient in the south Asian country based on the severity of the case, the quantity of vials required and the ultimate pricing of the drug.
The figures are a first indication of the way the drug will cost, as countries all over the world battle to control the coronavirus which has infected a lot more than 3.5 million people worldwide.
Gilead has donated a short batch of 1 1.5 million vials of to greatly help patients in the usa, but has yet to announce its pricing.
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), which assesses the effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the price of producing a 10-day span of remdesivir at $10, but suggested the price could rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits proven in clinical trials.
AFFORDABILITY WAIVER
Gilead's patent on remdesivir in theory means it has exclusive rights to make it, but international trade rules allow nations defined by the US as least-developed countries, including Bangladesh, to ignore such patents and make drugs less expensive in those markets.
Bangladesh would be allowed to export the drug to other least-developed countries plus some European countries also have written to Beximco wanting to import the drug, said Reza, declining to mention the countries.
"We can seek approval from the federal government to export it for emergencies," he said. "But we ought to have the ability to supply to our people first, that is number one for us."
Bangladesh has so far reported 10,929 cases and 183 deaths from the condition, although some specialists say the amount of cases could be higher given limited testing in the country.
WILL IT WORK?
Remdesivir once was developed to take care of the Ebola virus and did not work.
Its potential to greatly help COVID-19 patients is based on ability to disable the mechanism where certain viruses, like the new coronavirus, replicate themselves and potentially overwhelm their host's immune system.
Data from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed remdesivir reduced hospitalisation stays by 31% in comparison to a placebo treatment, but didn't significantly improve survival.
Beximco expects to receive marketing approval for remdesivir from Bangladesh authorities by mid-May, following which it plans to launch commercial quantities to be distributed via the federal government, Reza told Reuters.
"We'll produce the drug according to just how much the Bangladesh government requires," he said, adding officials were looking into quantities required by domestic hospitals.
Reza said a Chinese firm was providing the active pharmaceutical ingredients had a need to make the drug. Supplying deal would allow it to create up to 100,000 units of the drug, he said.
Located in Dhaka, Beximco Pharma exports generic drugs to some 50 countries from america to South Africa and makes from plain generic drugs to complex molecules.
Seven other Bangladeshi pharma companies including Square Pharmaceuticals and Beacon Pharmaceutical have obtained government approval to build up the drug, Bangladeshi drug regulatory official Mohammad Salahuddin said.
"For now, we won't allow the companies to export remdesivir. First, they'll need to fulfil local demand, then we are able to consider it," he told Reuters.
In neighbouring India, drugmaker Cipla Ltd said it had been also working on three antivirals, including favipiravir, remdesivir and bolaxavir, which could be used to take care of COVID-19. It declined to comment on its launch or pricing plans.
