Remdesivir OK'd in India at $39-52 per dose
Jun. 21, 2020 4:56 PM ET|About: Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD)|By: Douglas W. House, SA News Editor
India's Controller General has approved generic versions of Gilead Sciences' (NASDAQ:GILD) remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.
Two domestic drugmakers, Hyderabad-based Hetero and Mumbai-based Cipla, plan to launch their offerings within a week at Rs 5,000-6,000 ($65-78) and Rs 3,000-4,000 ($39-52), respectively.
According to current Indian government guidelines, a COVID-19 patient may need five-to-six doses, implying a total treatment cost of the antiviral as low as $195.
Gilead has yet to announce the price in the U.S. but it's safe to say it will be substantially higher. Drug cost watchdog ICER issued a report last month that the medicine would be cost-effective at $4,500 per course of treatment.