Zydus Cadila Seeks Human Trial Approval For COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail

Regeneron and Roche's antibody cocktail has also received emergency use approval in India, and will be distributed by drugmaker Cipla. The first batch of the cocktail became available in the country earlier this week.

Zydus Cadila has sought regulatory approval for clinical trials of its antibody cocktail to treat mild COVID-19, as India grapples with a shortage of medicines and vaccines needed to effectively tackle a devastating second wave of the pandemic. The treatment candidate, ZRC-3308, was earlier shown to reduce lung damage during animal trials, the drugmaker said, adding it was found to be safe and well-tolerated. The therapy is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies, which mimic natural antibodies that the body generates to fight infection. "At this juncture, there is a critical need to explore safer and more efficacious treatments to combat COVID," Zydus Cadila's managing director, Sharvil Patel, said in a stock exchange filing.