The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) on Friday, 23 April, gave Zydus Cadila emergency approval for the use for ‘Virafin’, Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN) to treat moderate COVID-19 infection in adults.
As per the company, a single-dose of the antiviral will make treatment more convenient for the patients, and will expedite the recovery process if administered early.
Cadila Health noted in its release that "the drug has also shown efficacy against other viral infections", ANI reported.
Managing Director of Cadila Healthcare Limited Dr Sharvil Patel said, "The fact that we are able to offer a therapy, which significantly reduces the viral load when given early on can help in better disease management. It comes at a much-needed time for patients and we will continue to provide access to critical therapies in this battle against COVID-19."
The release also stated, in its Phase three trials, the therapy showed better clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients and a higher proportion of inoculated patients were RT-PCR negative by the seventh day.
The drug ensures faster viral clearance and has several additional advantages compared to other anti-viral agents, the release adds.
The DGCI clearance comes at a time when the country is grappling with the rising second wave of COVID-19.
India has already granted emergency approval to three vaccines: Oxford/Astrazeneca’s vaccine Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute in India, the indigenously developed Covaxin by Bharat Biotech, and most recently, Russia’s Sputnik V.
On Friday, the country recorded 3,32,730 new infections in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day tally since the pandemic began last year. The Central government on Monday, 19 April, announced that COVID-19 vaccines will be made available to all adults starting 1 May.
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