Raghava Life Sciences in talks with formulators for potential Covid drug Favipiravir

HYDERABAD: Active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer Raghava Life Sciences (RLS), which claims to have developed bulk drug for antiviral Favipiravir that showed positive results in trials treating the novel Coronavirus disease, announced negotiations with global and domestic formulators to manufacture the drug.

Favipiravir, a generic version of Avigan that is used to treat influenza in Japan, is being studied as an experimental drug in treating the novel Coronavirus disease in India, Russia, China, Japan, Turkey, Thailand and others.

Stating that the trials so far showed positive results, RLS said it has sourced all the raw materials within India towards an innovative backward integrated manufacturing process, thereby addressing dependency on China for raw materials.


The potential coronavirus drug is a finer alternative to the patented Remdesivir of Gilead Sciences, which is the only other drug being considered for potential treatment of Covid-19, said RLS, terming that Favipiravir would be an effective and affordable solution for developing nations like India.