Cadila Health gains after DGCI approves Virafin for moderate COVID-19 cases

Cadila Healthcare added 2.87% to Rs 568.10 after the company received emergency use approval from India's drug regulator for the use of Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b, 'Virafin' in treating moderate COVID-19 infection in adults.

A single dose subcutaneous regimen of the antiviral Virafin will make the treatment more convenient for the patients.

When administered early on during COVID, Virafin will help patients recover faster and avoid much of the complications. Virafin will be available on the prescription of medical specialist for use in hospital/institutional setup.

In the multicentric trial conducted in 20-25 centers across India, Virafin had shown lesser need for supplemental oxygen, clearly indicating that it was able to control respiratory distress and failure which has been one of the major challenges in treating COVID-19. The drug has also shown efficacy against other viral infections.

In its Phase III clinical trials, the therapy had shown better clinical improvement in the patients suffering from COVID-19. During the trials, a higher proportion of patients administered with PegIFN arm were RT PCR negative by day 7. The drug ensures faster viral clearance and has several add-on advantages compared to other anti-viral agents.

Dr. Sharvil Patel, managing director, Cadila Healthcare, said: "The fact that we are able to offer a therapy which significantly reduces viral load when given early on can help in better disease management. It comes at a much-needed time for patients and we will continue to provide them access to critical therapies in this battle against COVID-19."

Cadila Healthcare is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies.

The company reported 40.6% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 512.50 crore on a 6.2% rise in net sales to Rs 3,753.70 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

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