NEW DELHI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila said Friday that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved its antiviral drug Virafin for emergency use in the treatment of moderate COVID-19 infection in adults.

"The company has received restricted emergency use approval from the DCGI for the use of 'Virafin', Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN) in treating moderate COVID-19 infection in adults," it said in a statement.

"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," said the company.

The approval came at a time when India is battling a massive wave of COVID-19 cases in the Asian country, which has led to a shortage in the supply of medical oxygen, hospital beds and essential drugs.

Zydus Cadila said patients given its therapy in clinical trials had shown lesser need for supplemental oxygen, which is given to seriously ill COVID-19 patients.

"The drug ensures faster viral clearance and has several add-on advantages compared to other anti-viral agents," the company noted.

"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," said Sharvil Patel, managing director at Cadila Healthcare Ltd. "It comes at a much-needed time for patients."

India is suffering a COVID-19 resurgence and on Friday it recorded the world's highest-ever number of daily COVID-19 cases at 332,730 and that of daily deaths at 2,263 for the past 24 hours. Its total tally hit 16,263,695 with 186,920 deaths. Enditem

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