In India, itolizumab, known by the brand name Alzumab, has been priced at Rs 8,000 per vial. Most patients require four vials for Covid-19 treatment, taking the cost of the therapy to Rs 32,000.
The company has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to market Itolizumab injection 25mg/5mL solution for emergency use in India for the treatment of cytokine release syndrome in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19.
DCGI has approved to market Itolizumab (ALZUMAb) injection 25mg and 5mL solution for emergency use in India for the treatment of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in moderate to severe ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) patients due to COVID-19, Biocon said in a release.
Written informed consent of each patient is required before the use of this drug, he said
'This government did not have any plan for safety stocks of essential medicines.'
'I cannot cope with the demand. It will take us a couple of months to ramp up production.'
The health ministry said that 86 per cent of the total active cases were recorded in 10 states of the country.
'There is just one silver lining: The fatality rate has gone down.'
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