Hetero’s Tocira may ease Covid drug price

Hyderabad-based Hetero has got approval from India’s drug regulator to launch a generic version of Roche’s tocilizumab, a drug used widely to help treat moderate-to-severe Covid-19 patients.

While Hetero has not announced the price of its drug yet, the generic version is expected to be cheaper than Roche’s brand Actemra, which sells for ~40,600 for a single dose. A patient needs at least two doses.

Hetero said it has got a restricted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Drug Controller of India to launch a biosimilar version of tocilizumab. The drug is expected to be launched this month under the brand Tocira.

Actemra is currently imported and distributed by Cipla under a license from Roche. Industry sources indicated that Cipla may now review the pricing of Actemra.

Tocilizumab is given to hospitalised adult Covid-19 patients who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non- invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

“This (the approval) demonstrates our technical capabilities and commitment to bringing important therapeutics relevant to Covid care,” said B Partha Saradhi Reddy, chairman, Hetero Group.

Hetero was also the first to develop a generic version of Covid-19 drug Remdesivir.