Industry > Industry monitor > Pharmaceuticals 23 April 2021 The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted Restricted Emergency Use Approval for Zydus Cadila’s Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN) or `Virafin’ for treating moderate Covid-19 infection in adults. A single dose subcutaneous regimen of the antiviral Virafin will make the treatment more convenient for the patients. When administered early on during Covid, Virafin will help patients recover faster and avoid much of the complications, the company stated in a release. Virafin will be available on the prescription of medical specialist for use in hospital/institutional setup. In the multicentric trial conducted in 20-25 centers across India, Virafin had shown lesser need for supplemental oxygen, clearly indicating that it was able to control respiratory distress and failure which has been one of the major challenges in treating Covid-19. The drug has also shown efficacy against other viral infections.