Hetero to launch Tocilizumab, gets DCGI’s emergency use nod

While Hetero didn't announce the price of the drug, but the biosimilar version is expected to be cheaper than the branded Tocilizumab which is priced at Rs 40,600 per single injection. A COVID-19 patient would typically require about two injections.

Viswanath Pilla

September 06, 2021 / 12:18 IST

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Hetero, on September 6, said it had received restricted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Drug Controller of India (DCGI) to launch biosimilar version of Tocilizumab.

Hetero announced that the drug would be available from September end under brand name Tocira. Hetero’s Tocira 400mg/20ml is the biosimilar version of Roche’s Actemra/RoActemra. The drug is distributed by Cipla in India under license from Roche.

While Hetero did not announce the price of the drug, the biosimilar version was expected to be cheaper than the branded Tocilizumab which is priced at Rs 40,600 per single injection. A COVID-19 patient would typically require about two injections.

The EUA will enable doctors to use the generic Tocilizumab for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized adults who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non- invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Hetero’s said Tocira will be marketed by its associate company ‘Hetero Healthcare’ in India with the support of its strong distribution network across the country.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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