Strides Arcolab has launched a generic drug Sofosbuvir in India under the brand name 'Virso'. In September 2014, Strides entered into a licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc to bring Hepatitis C cure to 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%.
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. The launch in other markets is subject to approvals from the regulatory authorities in respective countries.
Strides Arcolab is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bangalore, India that develops and manufactures wide range of IP-lead niche pharmaceutical products with an emphasis on sterile injectables.
