Syngene targets delivering 500,000 vials of remdesivir in India as COVID-19 surges (updated)

Syngene International

28/04/2021 13:40

(Adds details, quotes from CEO interview, background)
    By Anuron Kumar Mitra
    BENGALURU, April 28 (Reuters) - India's Syngene
International Ltd  SYNN.NS  aims to supply half-a-million vials
of COVID-19 drug remdesivir through its local distribution
partners next month, its top executive said, as the country
faces shortages of the medicine amid a second wave.
    "At the moment we are operating at near maximum capacity (to
produce remdesivir)," Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Hunt told
Reuters on Wednesday. 
    "I'd expect the volume of drug that we are supplying into
the Indian market to step up as we get into May," he added.
    Hunt did not provide details on how many vials the company
has already delivered.
    Syngene, majority owned by biopharmaceutical company Biocon
Ltd  BION.NS , is one of the seven Indian companies that have
licensed remdesivir from U.S.-based Gilead Sciences Inc
 GILD.O . The seven companies together have a total installed
capacity of about 3.9 million units per month.
    "Across all seven manufacturers, (Syngene is) probably one
of the smallest by capacity, but you are seeing everybody
working round the clock...to boost the supply," Hunt said. 
    This follows Gilead's announcement on Monday that it would
donate a minimum of 450,000 vials of the drug to the Indian
government.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2MJ4GJ
    The country's death toll from the pandemic crossed the
200,000 mark on Wednesday, worsened by shortages of hospital
beds and medical oxygen.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2ML0AP
    Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use
to treat severe COVID-19 cases, despite the World Health
Organisation advising against using the drug due to doubts about
its effectiveness in treating the infection. Indian health
officials have said it is only to be used in a hospital setting
for patients who need oxygen.
    Syngene, headquartered in the southern technology hub of
Bengaluru, offers contract research and manufacturing to global
drugmakers. Its clients include U.S. pharma majors Amgen Inc
 AMGN.O  and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co  BMY.N .
    The company late on Tuesday reported a 33.6% jump in
consolidated profit to 1.61 billion rupees ($21.63 million) for
the fourth-quarter ended March 31.
    

($1 = 74.4180 Indian rupees)

 (Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by
Sriraj Kalluvila)
 ((AnuronKumar.Mitra@thomsonreuters.com; +91 99863 58469;))