THD NewsDesk, New Delhi: Amidst major vaccine and medication crisis India has given emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 antibody drug cocktail developed by Roche (ROG.S) and Regeneron (REGN.O). This is an attempt to increase the outreach of medical infrastructure to help people fight the battle of Covid 19.
Roche’s India distribution partner for the drug, Cipla (CIPL.NS), said on Wednesday that the decision was taken based on data filed with the U.S. regulators and the scientific opinion of a European regulatory panel.
The therapy is a cocktail of two antibodies Casirivimab and Imdevimab, which are synthetically manufactured copies of antibodies that the body produces after an infection.
The drug is already in use in the United States and the former President of the US, Donald Trump also took it when he contracted the disease.
Since the death rate is very high during the second wave of the pandemic both government and local manufacturers have said they are working to ramp up production. Smaller Indian drugmaker Natco Pharma (NATP.NS) said on Monday it received emergency use authorization for baricitinib, originally developed by Eli Lilly (LLY.N), to be used with remdesivir to treat COVID-19.
India has seen a rising slope of the Coronavirus curve from April 15th and also an uncontrollable amount of death. More access to medical attention by the means of new drugs will hopefully save more lives.
Source: Reuters