Strides Arcolab launches generic hepatitis C drug Virso
This follows a licensing agreement signed by Strides with Gilead Sciences in September 2014 to introduce hepatitis C drug, sofosbuvir, in 91 developing countries
 "Strides Arcolab launches generic hepatitis C drug Virso")
Strides Arcolab Limited has launched generic drug sofosbuvir in India under the brand name Virso. In September 2014, Strides entered into a licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc to introduce hepatitis C drug, sofosbuvir, in 91 developing countries. The product will be available to Indian patients shortly.
Sofosbuvir is the first-in-class NS5B polymerase inhibitor to be launched in India for hepatitis C treatment and represents a paradigm shift in the existing hepatitis C management. “The high potency, high barrier to resistance, pan genotypic activity, once-daily dosage, good safety profile and the limited drug-drug interactions of Sofosbuvir makes it a breakthrough drug in hepatitis C treatment. This drug in combination therapy has shown to have high cure rates of around 90%,” said Strides Arcolab in a press release.
Globally, it is estimated that 170-185 million people (about 3% of the world's population) are chronically infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). In India alone, it is estimated that 12-18 million patients are infected with Hepatitis C, which is several fold greater than those with HIV/AIDS.
Mohan Kumar, CEO-Pharma, Strides Arcolab, stated, “We are pleased to announce this launch in partnership with Gilead Sciences, which is a big leap in our commitment towards bringing critical healthcare at affordable cost."
The launch in other markets is subject to approvals from the regulatory authorities in respective countries.
Sofosbuvir is the first-in-class NS5B polymerase inhibitor to be launched in India for hepatitis C treatment and represents a paradigm shift in the existing hepatitis C management. “The high potency, high barrier to resistance, pan genotypic activity, once-daily dosage, good safety profile and the limited drug-drug interactions of Sofosbuvir makes it a breakthrough drug in hepatitis C treatment. This drug in combination therapy has shown to have high cure rates of around 90%,” said Strides Arcolab in a press release.
Globally, it is estimated that 170-185 million people (about 3% of the world's population) are chronically infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). In India alone, it is estimated that 12-18 million patients are infected with Hepatitis C, which is several fold greater than those with HIV/AIDS.
Mohan Kumar, CEO-Pharma, Strides Arcolab, stated, “We are pleased to announce this launch in partnership with Gilead Sciences, which is a big leap in our commitment towards bringing critical healthcare at affordable cost."
The launch in other markets is subject to approvals from the regulatory authorities in respective countries.