Itolizumab to be a blockbuster opportunity for Biocon: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

We felt that this was the drug that would actually have a role to play in dealing with the cytokine storm that is being seen in Covid-19 patients, says Shaw

Biopharmaceutical company Biocon, which saw a decline in its profit in the Q1FY21 despite a double digit growth in topline, is betting big on two recent developments. The first one is the company’s voluntary licencing agreement with Gilead to manufacture Remdesivir, the anti-viral drug which is said to be suitable for treating mild to moderate Covid-19 patients. The second one is the company’s novel biologic drug Itolizumab, which has received emergency approval to treat Covid-19 patients in India. In an interview, Biocon’s Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw tells Samreen Ahmad that the demand for both the drugs is going to be