The drug, which is also used to cure the skin disease psoriasis, was cleared by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for usage in the country.

 “The randomised control trial indicated that all the patients treated with Itolizumab responded positively and recovered,” said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the firm’s executive chairperson. The control group which did not receive Itolizumab unfortunately suffered deaths, she said, adding the “first-in-class” drug will save lives and help reduce the mortality rate in the country.

 Clinical studies involving the drug are being closely watched as nations look for treatments for the disease that has infected over 820,000 people and killed over 22,000 in India.

 India recorded 27,114 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. The country’s coronavirus case tally has made it the nation with the third-biggest outbreak, behind only the US and Brazil in confirmed infections.

 Drug regulator DGCI earlier this month approved pharmaceutical firm Zydus Cadila to start phase one and phase two human clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN has also been approved for trials.