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.