The Drugs Controller General of India has approved Itolizumab, the medicine used to cure psoriasis for “restricted emergency use” againat the treatment of COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress, according to officials.
Monoclonal antibody injection Itolizumab, is an already approved drug of Biocon for several years, for restricted emergency use and approved by Dr V G Somani. The drug is for the treatment of of ‘cytokine’ release syndrome in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients due to COVID-19, according to the officials.
Officials further said that the “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 medical experts from AIIMS, among others, for treatment of cytokine release syndrome.”
Written Consent of each patient is required before the use of this drug.