Pune, Dec 31 : Pharma major Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd (EPL) said it has received an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) approval from the Drug Controller General of India to launch Molnupiravir, an investigational oral anti-viral drug, for the treatment of mild Covid-19.

EPL plans to launch Molnupiravir under the brand name Lizuvira in the Indian market.

As the need for such a drug is imminent in the face of emerging challenges in Covid-19 treatment, EPL will endeavour to deliver Lizuvira (Molnupiravir) in a week’s time, a company release said.

Earlier this year, EPL entered into a licensing agreement with Merck Sharpe Dohme (MSD) to manufacture and supply Molnupiravir to India and over 100 low and middle-income countries.

Molnupiravir is an oral anti-viral that inhibits the replication of multiple RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2.

The drug, being developed by MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, has been approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 at high risk of developing severe disease.(UNI)