Drug majors Roche India and Cipla on Monday announced the launch of Roche’s Antibody Cocktail in India priced at Rs 59,750 per dose for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk.
“The first batch of the Antibody Cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is now available in India while a second batch will be made available by mid-June. In total they can potentially benefit 2,00,000 patients as each of the 1,00,000 packs that will be available in India offers treatment for two patients,” Cipla and Roche said in a joint statement.
Cipla will distribute the product by leveraging its strong distribution strengths across the country, it added.
The price for each patient dose (a combined dose of 1200 mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab) will be ₹59,750 inclusive of all taxes. The maximum retail price for the multidose pack (each pack can treat two patients) is ₹119,500 inclusive of all taxes.
The antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV2 and who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease and do not require oxygen.
“Roche is deeply committed to support the ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate the deadly second wave and save lives. We are optimistic that the availability of Antibody Cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) in India can help in minimizing hospitalisation, ease the burden on healthcare systems and play a key role in treatment of high risk patients before their condition worsens,” said V. Simpson Emmanuel, Managing Director and CEO, Roche Pharma India.
Casirivimab and Imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that are specifically directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells, Cipla said in a statement.
