Psoriasis injection Itolizumab, which is used to cure skin ailment, has been approved for limited use in treating coronavirus, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has said. India's drug controller has okayed emergency use of Psoriasis injection for treating COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress.
Considering the unmet medical needs to treat COVID-19, Drugs Controller General of India Dr VG Somani approved monoclonal antibody injection Itolizumab for restricted emergency use for the treatment of 'cytokine' release syndrome in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients due to COVID-19.
Approval after clinical trials results found satisfactory
"The approval was given after its clinical trials on COVID-19 patients in India was found satisfactory by the expert committee comprising pulmonologists, pharmacologists and medicine experts from AIIMS, among others, for treatment of cytokine release syndrome," an official told PTI.
"It is already an approved drug of Biocon for treating psoriasis for last many years," the official said.
Written informed consent of each patient is required before the use of this drug, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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