Hyderabad-based Hetero announced on Monday it has received Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to use its generic version of the anti-arthritis drug, Tocilizumab, for treatment of adults hospitalized due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), according to news agency ANI. The World Health Organization (WHO), in July, recommended that the drug can be used for critically ill Covid-19 patients.
In a statement, Dr. P Sarathi Reddy, chairman, Hetero Group, said that the approval was “extremely crucial” to ensure supply security in India due to a global shortage of Tocilizumab. “We are pleased with the approval of Hetero’s Tocilizumab. This demonstrates our technical capabilities and commitment towards bringing important therapeutics relevant to Covid-19 care. We will work closely with the government to ensure equitable distribution,” Dr. Reddy noted.
The emergency use approval for TOCIRA, the pharmaceutical firm’s version of Tocilizumab, will ensure that medical practitioners can use it to treat adult Covid-19 patients, who are hospitalized, and require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (EMO), the company said.
source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/