Itolizumab, a drug used to cure skin ailment called psoriasis has been approved for "restricted emergency use" to treat COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress. This comes after clinical trials carried out in India were found to be satisfactory.
Monoclonal antibody injection Itolizumab is an already existing drug made by Biocon. Drugs Controller General of India, Dr V G Somani, approved the repurposed drug for restricted emergency use for the treatment of "cytokine'' release syndrome in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients, reports PTI.
While details of the clinical trials are yet to be shared, the DGCI did say, "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."
As with all approved drugs for limited use, hospitals have to seek a written consent from the patients, before prescribing them.
The drug is expensive to use, with one dose at Rs 60,000.
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