Awards and Recognition
2020
Avra developed an alternative, low-cost and highly efficient manufacturing process for COVID-19 drug Favipiravir, and was the exclusive supplier to Cipla
27 Jul 2020
Business Standard: Avra Laboratories gets regulatory approval for Covid-19 drug Favipiravir
27 Jul 2020
Moneycontrol: Avra Laboratories gets CDSCO nod to make Favipiravir API
27 Jul 2020
Police commissioner of Rachakonda visited Avra Unit-2 and felicitated Dr. A. V. Rama Rao for Avra’s contribution towards COVID-19 relief efforts.
2018
10 Aug 2018
Avra Labs makes philanthropic contribution to IISc
2016
The Padma Bhushan was bestowed upon Dr A V Rama Rao by the President of India for contributions to Science and Engineering.
2016
CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award for the Development of Innovative Technology for Irinotecan, an anticancer drug.
2013
ICC ACHARYA P. C. RAY AWARD FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGY – 2013 Conferred on AVRA LABORATORIES PVT. LTD.
Dr. A. V. Rama Rao founded AVRA LABORATORIES 1995 after retiring as the Director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad. With four sites based in Hyderabad and Vizag, it is amongst the first companies in India to focus on high-end contract research, custom synthesis of complex chemicals and difficult to manufacture intermediates and APIs.
One example of the innovative technologies developed by Avra is the total synthesis of Irinotecan, a compound with high molecular complexity. This drug is a semi-synthetic derivative of the natural product Camptothecin and used to treat colorectal cancer. Using a 20 step synthesis, Avra has developed a commercially viable process to produce Irinotecan and its intermediates with a higher purity at a lower cost.
Conventionally, Irinotecan and its intermediates such as SN-38 is made from Camptothecin, a compound derived through extraction from a plant source – Camptotheca acuminata. This process requires extensive chromatographic separations and relies on some low yielding synthetic steps to yield SN-38 with a purity not exceeding 98.5%. Avra’s technology does not rely on the natural source and the product is made directly from commercially available and inexpensive raw materials.
The process allows for the preparation of SN-38, the key intermediate for the synthesis of Irinotecan with a purity of 99.8%. The process is scalable and all concerns related to dependence on plant sources such as seasonal yield, land and time for growth and pesticide residues from soil do not arise. Avra’s process allows for recovery and re-use of certain reagents and solvents making the process green by minimizing waste.