Hetero gets DCGI emergency use approval for Tocilizumab biosimilar for Covid-19
New Delhi: Drug firm Hetero on Monday said it has received emergency use authorisation from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for its biosimilar version of Tocilizumab for treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalised adults.
The company will market the drug under the brand name ''Tocira'', Hetero said in a statement.
This authorisation will enable medical practitioners to use the drug for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalised adults who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, it added.
"This approval is extremely crucial for supply security in India considering a global shortage of Tocilizumab. We will be working closely with the government to ensure equitable distribution," Hetero Group Chairman, B Partha Saradhi Reddy said.
Tocira will be marketed by Hetero's associate company Hetero Healthcare in India.
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Hetero's biologics arm, Hetero Biopharma will manufacture the drug at its dedicated biologics facility, based at Jadcherla in Hyderabad, the statement said.
The company's Tocilizumab 400mg/20ml is the biosimilar version of Roche's Actemra/RoActemra, and will be available from September-end, it added.
Read also: Hetero announces interim clinical results of Molnupiravir in COVID patients in India
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