Swiss company seeks nod to start phase-3 trial of its Covid drug

MUMBAI: Swiss major Novartis has sought regulatory approval in India to initiate Phase III clinical trials for its drug Ruxolitinib for Covid-19. These trials will be part of a global study that the company started in May to evaluate the use of Ruxolitinib (sold as Jakavi) for treatment of a severe immune overreaction — cytokine storm — that can lead to life-threatening respiratory complications in patients with Covid-19, a Novartis official confirmed to TOI.
At present, Ruxolitinib is used for the treatment of Myelofibrosis and Polycythemia, a type of blood cancer. The maximum retail price of Jakavi 5mg (14 tablet pack) is Rs 30,084. The trials will be on moderately-ill Covid-19 patients who require hospitalisation but not ICU admission. It will be given for 14 days at a dose of 5 mg, twice a day.