Ready to increase the production of Molnupiravir: Optimus pharma

Optimus Pharma has priced its Molnupiravir capsules at ₹ 630 for a vial of 10.

Speaking after officially launching the product here on Thursday, Dr Srinivasa Reddy, president and CEO of Optimus Pharma, said his company was “ready” to ramp up the manufacture of Molnupiravir. Optimus now has a production capacity of 40 million capsules per month.

The Hyderabad-based company received regulatory approval for the emergency use of its product in the treatment of high-risk Covid-19 patients on December 28.

“Given the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic with an increasing number of SARS-Cov-2 infections, it is imperative that more oral drugs with potent antiviral activity can be introduced. With this, Optimus Pharma internally developed the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and capsule formulation and gained approval by completing a phase 3 clinical trial in India, ”said Reddy.

Another Hyderabad-based drugmaker, Hetero, also launched its Molnupiravir capsules, Movfor, a few days ago, priced at 2,490 yen for a 40-pill bottle.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd has announced that it will soon launch the drug on the domestic market.