Drug major Lupin on Wednesday announced the launch of its Favipiravir medication under the brand name'Covihalt' for its treatment patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at Rs 49 per pill in India.

Favipiravir has received authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use, Lupin said in a regulatory filing.

Its Covihalt dose potency has been developed keeping in mind advantage of administration, it said, adding that the drug is available as 200 mg pills in the form of a strip of 10 tablets, and priced at Rs 49 per pill.

Lupin President - India Region Formulations (IRF) Rajeev Sibal said the company believes that it can leverage its expertise in handling widespread community diseases like tuberculosis to proactively reach sufferers across India and ensure access to Covihalt through its strong distribution system and field force.

On August 4, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries had established Favipiravir below the brand name"FluGuard" for its treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, at Rs 35 per tablet in India.