Govt Approves Virafin, A Medicine That Claims To Treat Covid Patients In 7 Days With 91% Results

As the country battles against the dangerous COVID-19 virus and the shortage of Remdesivir, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has now given its nod to another anti-viral drug, Virafin.

This is a drug that can be used as a replacement for Remdesivir and has claimed 91% suceess results. 

Read on to find out all the details about this new drug and its effectiveness.

Virafin Given Emergency Approval By DGCI; Claims 91% Success Rates

Virafin is a drug by Zydus Cadila, and now has the emergency approval of the DGCI. As per reports, the drug can reduce a patient’s need for oxygen and also claims to treat COVID-19 patients within 7 days.

As per Zydus, 91.15 per cent of adult patients treated with Virafin tested negative using RT-PCR in seven days. If given early to patients infected with COVID, the company also promises lesser complications and faster healing. The drug will be available on the prescription of a medical specialist and can be used in hospital/institutional setups.

This is a Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b drug and shuold be administered to the patients in a single dose subcutaneous (under the skin) regimen.

There also is evidence that shows that this medicine reduces respiratory distress.

Dr Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, Cadila Healthcare Limited said, “The fact that we are able to offer a therapy which significantly reduces viral load when given early on can help in better disease management.”

Respiratory Distress And Failure To Be Controlled Through Virafin

A multicentric trial was conducted in 20-25 centers across India, which showed that Virafin showed lesser need for supplemental oxygen. It was also found that respiratory distress and failure can also be controlled through this drug, which is one of the major challenge in treating COVID-19.

Not only this, the drug has also proven to be efficient against other viral infections.

Remdesivir is a primary drug that is being used for helping patients fight against the Chinese virus. There is a grave shortage of the drug and it is being sold on e-commerce websites and black market at exorbitant prices.

However, the government has intervened into the situation, leading to various pharmaceutical companies voluntarily slashing the prices of their respective brands of remdesivir injection (100 mg/vial).

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