DCGI issues notice to Glenmark for false claims, overpricing of COVID-19 drug FabiFlu

The Drug Controller General of India issued notice to Glenmark seeking clarification from the company regarding the false claim that its antiviral drug Fabiflu, is effective on COVID-19 patients with co-morbidities. The DCGI issued the notice following complaints from a Member of Parliament over the high price of the drugs and false claim.

New Delhi: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued a notice to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on a false claim that its antiviral drug FabiFlu has been effective on COVID-19 patients with co-morbidities.

The DCGI issued the notice following complaints from a Member of Parliament (MP) over the high price of the drugs and false claim.

The drug controller body, however, did not name the MP in its notice. Earlier in June, DCGI gave approval to Glenmark for manufacture and marketing of FabiFlu for treating mild COVID-19 patients.

Earlier, the cost of each FabiFlu tablet was Rs 103 which was later revised by the company and announced a new price for the per tablet at Rs 75.

A COVID 19 patients need to complete a course of 122 tablets.

Meanwhile, in a positive development, as many as 26 Delhi police personnel on Sunday have donated their plasma at a Plasma donation camp organised by AIIMS.

All these police personnel have been recovered from COVID-19.

"As of now convalescent plasma therapy has been approved for compassionate use with various plasma banks being set up to ensure round the clock availability. Despite the fact that India has one of the highest cure rates amongst COVID-19 patients, the plasma donations have yet to pick up," said Dr Harsh Vardhan while inaugurating the plasma bank.

Read:PM Modi speaks to CMs of several states to discuss COVID-19 situation

Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 case fatality rate on Sunday dropped to 2.49 per cent highlighting a successful clinical management plan of hospitalised cases.

India is one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. Significantly, as many as 29 states and UTs have registered case fatality rate lower than the national average.

Five states and UTs including Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Mizoram and A&N Islands registered a zero case fatality rate.

14 states and UTs have a case fatality rate press than 1 per cent.

Many states have conducted the population surveys to map and identify the vulnerable population like the elderly, pregnant women and those with co-morbidities, health ministry officials said.

At the same time, India's recovery cases outnumbered active cases by more than 3 lakh.

Read:Health Ministry issues guidelines for gated housing complexes to set up COVID facilities

During the last 24 hours, as many as 23,672 people have been recovered taking the total recovery cases to 6,77,422 with more than 62.86 per cent. There are 3,73,379 active COVID cases in India at present.

Significantly, in the last 24 hours, more than 3,58,127 samples have been tested taking the total number to 1,37,91,869.

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has decided to conduct a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the BCG vaccine in preventing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 in elderly individuals.

In another development, a gesture that could definitely inspire the corona warriors, Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital has waived a whopping medical bill of Rs 4 lakh of a junior doctor who has been suffering from COVID-19 infection and is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The hospital authority took the decision after Dr Joginder Choudhary's father, a farmer in Madhya Pradesh, wrote a letter to Ganga Ram hospital and Delhi government expressing his inability to pay such a huge bill.