Hyderabad-based Zenara Pharma has launched a generic version of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral drug Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets co-packaged with ritonavir tablets).
First to do so in the country, it has launched Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir tablets in a combi pack for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. The product will be sold under the brand name, Paxzen.
The maximum retail price will be ₹5,200 per box, containing 20 tablets of Nirmatrelvir 150mg and 10 tablets of Ritonavir 100mg or equivalent to one full course of treatment per patient, Zenara Pharma said on September 9. The company had in August received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to manufacture and market the product.
Zenara, which a fully owned subsidiary of Biophore India Pharmaceuticals, said Paxzen is being manufactured at its U.S. FDA and EU approved state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad.
“Our product, Paxzen, has been proven equivalent to Paxlovid through a bio equivalence study, based on which we have received the approval from the regulatory authorities, said co-founder and MD Jagadeesh Babu Rangisetty.
The product has been launched with an aim to bring the best treatment options against COVID-19 within reach of patients in the country, he said.
Pfizer’s Paxlovid got approval in the U.S., from the US Food and Drug Administration, in December 2021. It was the first oral pill, for COVID-19, to be approved by the USFDA., and has a better safety profile than subsequently approved oral therapies.
Zenara said it is ensuring availability of Paxzen with its distribution partners across the country and their details can be obtained on dedicated helpline 72079 28889, and on the company website.
