Made-in-India Drug to Cure Mild Covid Patients Has Antibodies Developed in Horses; to be Out Soon

There is a little-known drug developing company called iSERA Biological Pvt Ltd that is making big waves lately. The bioscience company which is based near Kolhapur, in Pune Maharashtra, is testing a new drug that is gunning to be the first Indian-made Covid-19 cure. While this may sound like an extravagant statement, the iSERA Biological is making significant headway with this project. The drug that it is developing could potentially be used to cure and treat mild to moderate Covid-19 infections in patients. The drug has come so far that the company is now moving to human trials with the aim of possibly having it available for the masses by the end of the year.

To emphasise the significance of this venture, it should be noted that the Serum Institute of India (SII) is the sponsor for this drug project. iSERA Biological’s primary activity is the manufacturing of antiserum products for snakebites and rabies. The anti-venom seems to be the company’s largest product line. The company carries a total of 11 anti-venom serums that are listed on its website, with four of them being for exported products. These anti-venoms are a combination of snake and scorpion venom.

It is using the same process for development of the anti-Covid drug as well, “The drug project started as an idea to check if we can use Covid anti-bodies to help a patient. It was followed up with pre-clinical studies, analyzing neutralizing values and animal studies,” its director Pratap Deshmukh told PTI.

iSERA Biological got the test license from the Drugs Controller General of India in April 2020. Serum Institute of India joined them in June last year with the supply of antigens to develop the anti-Covid drug. Mentioning the process of manufacturing anti-Covid drug, iSERA Biological director said, “The antigens are given to horses, who develop antibodies, using which the drug is manufactured after a purification process.”

This is a tested process used for over a century in making anti-venoms, the company claimed. iSERA Biological said the company might able to deliver the drug at a tenth of the cost charged by the alternative antibody cocktail available in the market developed by pharma major Roche, by the end of this year.

iSERA Biological director added went on to add that the “polyclonal cocktail would be safer for patients compare to the Roche’s monoclonal cocktail,” mentioned PTI. When the first batch of Roche’s antibody cocktail (Casrivimab and Imdevimab) came to India, one dose (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab) cost Rs 59,750. Deshmukh said that the company would be able to deliver the drug at a 10th of the price of Roche’s drug.

This Maharashtra-based biological company specialises in Diphtheria Antitoxin in different variations, much like the anti-venom. Two variations are listed as exported products out of the total five. Finally, there is the anti-viral section. In that category, the company produces rabies anti-serum variations. The new ‘Covid-19 Anti-Serum’ is the only odd one out in that category.

The pharma company also has a wide range of services to support its product line. It provides a broad range of that are relevant to the medical field. These include anti-body generation services, pharmacology studies, analytical testing, toxicology studies, vet pathology testing, contractual research and even training programmes.

However, despite being so biologically oriented, iSERA is multi-faceted in the sense that it does not just cater to any one industry or market. It in fact, has targeted the pharmaceuticals sector, Biotechnology and Cosmetics. It has fully integrated ‘Bench to Manufacturing’ facilities, that enable this biotech entity to produce a quick turnaround, adaptive technology, all the while, being capable of full-scale manufacturing.

Having completed the first phase of its company goals, iSERA has effectively established a cGMP facility for the manufacturing of antiserum products for India as well as Asia as a whole, the Middle East and even African countries. No doubt, the new Covid-19 drug will become a big export once finalised and all the trials are completed.

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