DCGI approves psoriasis injection Itolizumab to treat COVID patients

New Delhi, July 11 -- The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the psoriasis injection Itolizumab, a drug used to cure skin ailment psoriasis, an auto-immune disorder, for "restricted emergency use" to treat COVID-19 patients having moderate to severe acute respiratory distress, media reports said.

Manufactured by Biocon, monoclonal antibody injection Itolizumab is an already approved drug. Considering the lack of treatment available for the varied complexities of COVID-19, the drug has been approved for the treatment of "cytokine'' release syndrome in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients due to COVID-19. The approval has been given after conducting clinical trials by the expert committee compri...