News: Biocon drug Itolizumab has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India(DCGI) for treating moderate to severe Covid-19 patients.
Facts:
- Itolizumab: It is a monoclonal antibody drug manufactured by Biocon for the treatment of severe chronic plaque psoriasis.
- Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that act like human antibodies in the immune system and fight against foreign molecules.
- How will it work? Itolizumab will be used for the treatment of cytokine release syndrome(CRS) in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.
Additional Facts:
- Cytokine release syndrome(CRS): It is a systemic inflammatory response that can be triggered by a variety of factors such as infections and other diseases.
- DCGI: It is a department of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization(CDSCO) responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids and vaccines in India.It comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
