Cipla launches Roche's Covid antibody cocktail in India for Rs 60k per dose

The antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults and pediatric patients

Swiss multinational drug firm Roche’s antibody cocktail (Casrivimab and Imdevimab) is now available in India, its marketing partner here Cipla said on Monday.

The first batch of this therapy is now available, the firm said, and the second batch will be available by mid-June. “In total they can potentially benefit 200,000 patients as each of the 100,000 packs that will be available in India offer treatment for two patients,” Cipla said.

The price for each patient dose [a combined dose of 1200 mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab)] will be Rs 59,750 inclusive of all taxes. The maximum retail price for the multi-dose pack (each pack can treat two patients) is Rs 119,500 inclusive of all taxes, Cipla said.

Cipla will distribute the product in India through leading hospitals and Covid treatment centres.

The Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) had recently granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) in India. It has also received a EUA in the US and several EU countries.

“Roche is deeply committed to supporting the ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, mitigate the deadly second wave and save lives. We are optimistic that the availability of antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) in India can help in minimising hospitalisation, ease the burden on healthcare systems and play a key role in treatment of high risk patients before their condition worsens,” said V Simpson Emmanuel, MD and CEO, Roche Pharma India.

The antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV2 and who are at high risk of developing severe Covid-19 disease and do not require oxygen.

“It has been shown to help these high-risk patients before their condition worsens, reducing the risk of hospitalisation and fatality by 70 percent and shortening the duration of symptoms by four days,” the statement claimed.

                                                               About the antibody cocktail

 

• The antibody cocktail can be procured against a valid prescription
• Casirivimab and Imdevimab may only be administered in settings in which health care providers have immediate access to medications to treat an infusion reaction, such as anaphylaxis
• The intravenous administration takes about 20 to 30 minutes. For the subcutaneous route, four syringes of 2.5 ml (2 each of Casirivimab & Imdevimab) need to be administered concurrently at four different sites on the abdomen or thigh
• Patients should be monitored during the infusion and observed for least one hour after the completion of the infusion and 15--30 minutes after the subcutaneous injection

Who are High risk patients?
 

• Age >=60 years
• Those suffering from obesity
• Cardiovascular disease, including hypertension
• Chronic lung disease, including asthma

Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus

Chronic kidney disease, including those on dialysis

Chronic liver disease, and those who are

Immunosuppressed, based on investigator’s assessment.

Examples include: Cancer treatment, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, HIV (if poorly controlled or evidence of AIDS), sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and prolonged use of immune-weakening medications.

Each pack of antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) contains one vial of Casirivimab and one vial of Imdevimab totaling 2400 mg of the antibody cocktail. Each pack can treat two patients as the dosage per patient is a combined dose of 1200 mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab) administered by intravenous infusion or subcutaneous route. The vials need to be stored at 2°C to 8°C. If opened for the first patients’ dose, a vial can be used for the second patients’ dose within 48 hours if stored at 2°C to 8°C.

Casirivimab and Imdevimab are human immunoglobulin G-1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibodies produced by recombinant DNA technology in the lab. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. Casirivimab and Imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that are specifically directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells.

“Thanks to its specific engineering of two neutralising antibodies which bind to different parts of the virus spike, the Casirivimab and Imdevimab cocktail remains efficacious against widest spread variants and reduces the risk of losing its neutralisation potency against new emerging variants,” Cipla claimed.