Indian pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila has sought approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) to conduct human trials
for its COVID-19 antibody cocktail, ZRRC-3308.

The cocktail showed reducing
lung damage during animal trials, said the company.

The cocktail includes two monoclonal antibodies that imitate
natural antibodies fighting SARS-CoV-2, as per a Reuters report.

Also read: With 2,11,298 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, India’s total tally rises to 2,73,69,093

“At this juncture, there is a critical need to explore
safer and more efficacious treatments to combat COVID,” the report quotes
Zydus Cadila’s managing director Sharvil Patel as saying.

The current permission is being sought for initiating phase
1/3 human clinical trials.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided
emergency use authorisations to similar treatments prepared by Vir Biotechnology
and GlaxoSmithKline.

Monoclonal antibodies, used in this process, act like natural
antibodies as they bind together, destroying the spike protein of the virus.

Also read: Pfizer says its COVID vaccine is highly effective, seeks fast-track approval in India

US vaccine manufacturer Pfizer, meanwhile, said on Thursday
that its vaccine was ‘highly effective’ against B.1.617.2 coronavirus variant,
which is highly dominant in India. It also noted that the jab was suitable for
storage in temperatures between two and eight degree Celsius for a month.

The company rolled out its vaccine in the United States back
in December, 2020 and is currently in talks with the Government of India to
acquire emergency usage approval.