Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is getting set to bring out its version of molnupiravir, the anti-viral drug from Merck Sharpe Dohme and Ridgeback, used in Covid treatment.

The DCGI is reviewing clinical data of molnupiravir for the treatment of Covid in adults in India, the company said.

Recently, molnupiravir was approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid in adults. It is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration as well for Emergency Use Authorisation.

Sun Pharma, like a clutch of India-based generic companies, had signed a non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with MSD to manufacture and supply molnupiravir in India and to over 100 low- and middle-income countries. (LMICs).

Besides Sun, the other companies that have signed up agreements with MSD for molnupiravir include Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Labs (DRL), Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Hetero Labs, Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Viatris (erstwhile Mylan). Interestingly, the drug involved a joint clinical trial undertaken, anchored by DRL, along with Emcure, Sun Pharmaceutical, Cipla and Torrent.

As more regulators look at the anti-viral oral pill to treat Covid, Kirti Ganorkar, Sun’s Chief Executive (India Business), said they were gearing up to make their version of molnupiravir (Molxvir) available to patients and healthcare providers across India at an “economical price”, post approval by DCGI. “Molxvir will be manufactured at one of our plants in India and we have enough capacity to meet the demand,” she added.

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