India Approves Biocon’s Psoriasis Drug as COVID-19 Treatment

India’s drug regulatory authority has approved Biocon’s psoriasis treatment Alzumab (itolizumab) for treatment of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients.

CRS is an acute inflammatory syndrome characterized by fever and multiple organ dysfunction. Itolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that is being investigated for treatment of various immune-mediated disorders.

The emergency use approval was based on the results of a clinical trial in Mumbai and New Delhi which showed the treatment reduced the mortality rate.