Cipla Ltd, a Rs. 10,880 crore plus fifth largest pharma company in India, has launched generic drug ledipasvir-sofosbuvir in India under the brand name Hepcvir-L. Hepcvir- L, the first once-a-day, fixed-dose oral combination therapy that has been approved for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 patients.

The introduction of the ledipasvir-sofosbuvir fixed-dose oral combination thereby provides a new interferon and ribavirin-free treatment option to patients and is a powerful weapon to fight against genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.
 
Commenting on the launch of ledipasvir-sofosbuvir, Subhanu Saxena, MD & global CEO, said, “Cipla has always tried to provide best-in-class affordable medicines to patients and the launch of ledipasvir-sofosbuvir is a further step to facilitate the optimal treatment for patients suffering from genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.”

Globally, the burden of hepatitis C is around 185 million. About 12-18 million Indians are infected with this disease. It has been observed that 3 out of 4 hepatitis C affected people are unaware of the infection as this disease does not have any specific symptoms.

In order to create awareness among the population and to cater to existing patients, Cipla has launched an initiative ACT-C (A=Awareness, C= Counselling, T = Treatment of hepatitis –C) which is a patient support programme. This helps to create awareness of hepatitis C and to reach out to those affected patients.