Zydus Receives Emergency Use Approval For Virafin Drug For COVID-19 Treatment

Zydus Cadila announced on Friday, that it has got the emergency use approval for the drug Virafin Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN).

The Indian drug regulator, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved of the usage of Virafin for treating moderate coronavirus infections in adult patients.

"A single dose subcutaneous regimen of the antiviral Virafin will make the treatment more convenient for the patients. When administered early on during Covid, Virafin will help patients recover faster and avoid much of the complications. Virafin will be available on the prescription of medical specialist for use in hospital/institutional setup," said the company.

Zydus claims that PegIFN helps with quicker recovery of COVID-19 patients

In a press release, Zydus Cadila said that the drug has shown efficacy against other viral infections too. During its Phase III clinical trials, the drug has reportedly shown a lot of clinical improvement in patients who were suffering from COVID-19. The trials also revealed that when a higher number of patients were administered with PegIFN, their RT-PCR tests came out to be negative by Day 7. The drug also showcased viral clearance and had many ad-on advantages compared to various other anti-viral drugs.

PegIFN is originally used for treating Hepatitis B and C patients for many years now. A single dose of the subcutaneous regimen of the antiviral Virafin is recommended to work for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The drug has also been found to help people recover from COVID-19 quickly if the drug is administered during the early stages of the infection. It also helps in preventing the onset of various COVID-19 complications.

DCGI's approval to Zydus comes at a time when the country has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.