Zydus Cadila files investigational new drug application for Covid-19 treatment

Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Tuesday said it has filed the investigational new drug (IND) application for its small molecule candidate ZYIL1, positioned for management of critically ill Covid-19 patients.

"Following up on its initiatives to fight Covid-19 with diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics, the company is now focussing on cutting edge research to bring targeted therapies...," Zydus Cadila said in a regulatory filing.

The company has filed the IND application of ZYIL1, a novel oral small molecule NLRP3 inhibitor candidate, it added.

Zydus Cadila said ZYIL1 will bridge a critical unmet healthcare need in several inflammatory diseases including the current pandemic of Covid-19 and address complications caused by chronic and uncontrolled inflammation.

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"We are at the forefront of targeting the innate immune system through novel NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors candidates with a deep understanding of the inflammasome biology," Cadila Healthcare Chairman Pankaj R Patel said.

ZYIL1 has demonstrated promising efficacy in a number of validated preclinical models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Sepsis and acute lung injury models of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Zydus Cadila said.

The company has completed all IND enabling preclinical studies and has filed the IND application to advance this drug candidate towards the clinic, it added.

Shares of Cadila Healthcare, the listed entity of the group, were trading at Rs 438.60 per scrip on BSE, up 6.94 per cent from its previous close.