Zydus Cadila seeks approval from DCGI for the use of Hepatitis C to treat COVID-19 patients

Zydus Cadila, has announced that it was seeking approval from Drug controller General of India (DCGI) for the use of its proprietary Hepatitis C drug as a treatment against the SARS-CoV-2 infection following promising results in Phase 3 trials.

According to the Zydus Statement, the Phase 3 trials demonstrated that a higher proportion of patients in the PegIFN arm showed a two point statistically significant clinical improvement on day 8 as compared to the SOC arm (80.36% vs 68.18%).

Discussing the latest findings, Dr Sharvil Patel, MD at Cadila Healthcare said,“We are encouraged by the results of Phase III study of Pegylated Interferon alpha 2b which has confirmed the potential to reduce virus titres when given earlier in the disease. With Indian Innovation at the forefront helping the country fight the pandemic with diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics, this marks an important milestone. At Zydus, we stand committed to our endeavor of supporting patients and caregivers with access to treatment options that are affordable and can help in better disease management of COVID 19 at different stages.”