Biophore ramps up Made-In-India

Biophore ramps up Made-In-India Favipiravir production for Covid-19

Receives approval in Turkey

Has manufacturing capacity to meet all local and global commitments

Hyderabad-based Biophore India Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has successfully completed the validation of favipiravir and scaled-up its production. Favipiravir is the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that can be used in the finished formulation of an antiviral drug approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for mild to moderate cases of Covid-19.

Biophore has received the DCGI license to manufacture the API in India and has been cleared for export as well. It has also received approval in Turkey in collaboration with a local Turkish partner. Additionally, the company is in talks with several Indian partners to commercialize the product in India and with Bangladesh and Egypt-based companies for its export.

Dr. Manik Reddy Pullagurla, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Biophore, says, “The Covid-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for pharmaceutical companies to step up and develop effective solutions quickly, without compromising on safety. We have ensured that our favipiravir meets the highest standards of quality. Our manufacturing facilities comply with US and EU regulations and we have stringent internal impurity controls and quality checks to ensure that. Meeting favipiravir needs in India is our priority, and we have the capacity to scale up production of favipiravir to meet local requirements, without compromising on our export commitments.”.

Favipiravir is an antiviral agent that was initially discovered and developed because of its activity against
another RNA virus, the influenza virus. Apart from India and Turkey, it has already been approved for use against
Covid-19 in Russia and parts of the Middle East  and advanced stage trials are currently underway in other
parts of the world.

Dr. Jagadeesh Babu Rangisetty, CEO at Biophore, says, “In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to Make in India, and become vocal for local I am proud to say that Biophore’s favipiravir is 100% Made in India. This is what sets us apart from many other suppliers of this API. We are not dependent on any imports to produce favipiravir. All starting materials and complex intermediates are either sourced locally or have been developed in-house for use. We are confident that this API will help our country move several steps forward in our united fight against Covid-19.” 

Biophore is also awaiting DCGI approval for a favipiravir finished dosage form.

This December, IndiGo marks 1500 daily departures

This December, IndiGo marks 1500 daily departures

The airline aims to promote international trade, tourism and economic growth by increasing mobility through its extensive network

 

 In line with its expansion strategy, IndiGo - India’s leading airline - has achieved the milestone of 1500 daily departures across its network of 83 domestic and international destinations. IndiGo expanded its operations to 11 domestic and 8 international new destinations inclusive of multiple exclusive and virgin routes, increasing its portfolio by 22 percent, between January to December 2019.

 

Stations launched in 2019
1.       Jeddha 2.       Shillong 3.       Gaya 4.       Jodhpur 5.       Belgaum 6.       Chengdu 7.       Yangon 8.       Silchar 9.       Hanoi 10.   Riyadh 11.   Ho Chi Minh City 12.   Guangzhou 13.   Shirdi 14.   Mysore

The airline was the first Indian carrier to connect India to Istanbul in Turkey, Chengdu in China and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam while foraying into countries like Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) and Myanmar (Yangon). IndiGo further enhanced point to point connectivity through the length and breadth of the country by announcing multiple domestic connections. Kannur was connected to Bengaluru, Kochi, Goa, Hubli, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram; Kolhapur was connected to Hyderabad and Tirupati; and Bhopal was connected to four metro cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, amongst other destinations.

 

IndiGo’s expansion in domestic and international skies has enabled Indian travellers to not only travel affordably within India, but also to new exotic destinations like Vietnam, Myanmar and China. The airline established a robust network connecting the Buddhist circuit in India with key Buddhist communities in China, Vietnam and Myanmar, creating a South Asian Buddhist circuit with Kolkata as the gateway city. These new flights will enhance point-to-point connectivity as well as growth of domestic, inbound and outbound air traffic, promoting economic growth and social cohesion. 

 

Speaking on the subject, Mr. Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo said, “We are very pleased to be the first Indian airline to touch 1500 daily departures, with one flight taking off every minute. The simple philosophy of offering low fares and on-time, courteous, hassle-free service has been the foundation of IndiGo’s growth and unparalleled network in India. Flying over 2,50,000 customers every day, we are on a mission to promote trade, tourism and economic growth by increasing mobility and accessibility across the length and breadth of the country”.

 

Mr. Dutta further added, “2019 has been an eventful year with many new partnerships, orders and milestones. We are optimistic about 2020, and our endeavour will be to build focus cities and traffic corridors that connect India to the world”.

 

The year witnessed many more historic moments including IndiGo’s entry into Europe through a direct connection to Istanbul and the codeshare with Turkish Airlines, another codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways, mega orders of 280 CFM engines and 300 Airbus aircraft to fuel the airline’s growth in the 2020s, joining IATA as a member, receipt of the first A321neo, celebrating IndiGo’s 13th anniversary and introduction of new in-flight services to enrich customer experience.