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MUMBAI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- India's Dr Reddy's Laboratories has joined four other Indian companies, who have received license to manufacture Remdesivir, a potential drug for treating COVID-19, a company statement said Saturday.

Remdesivir, an investigational antiviral therapy developed by U.S. based bio-pharmaceutical company Gilead, had received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to treat COVID-19 in 127 countries including India.

So far, Cipla, Hetero, Jubilant and Cadila are the four other Indian companies, who have been granted license by Gilead to manufacture the drug.

However, the Indian drug regulator is cautiously following the drug approval process and has sought more data on safety and stability of the drug with the Indian companies, who have received license to manufacture the drug.

Last week, India's worst affected state of Maharashtra with over 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had announced that it will source 10,000 vials of Remdesivir from the neighbouring country Bangladesh, that had launched the drug last month.

Two Bangladesh drug makers, Eskayef Pharmaceuticals and Bexmico Pharma, have offered to supply Remdesivir to the Maharashtra government. But industry sources said that none of the two companies have license to sell Remdesivir in India and even importing limited doses of drug on compassionate basis requires approval from the Indian drug regulator.