AstraZeneca gets CDSCO approval for preventive therapy for respiratory syncytial virus

AstraZeneca Pharma India on Saturday said it has received an approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to import and market a medication to prevent Respiratory Syncytial virus.

The company has received the approval for Palivizumab injection in single-dose vials administered through intramuscular route, it said in a statement.

This innovative therapy is indicated for prevention of serious lower respiratory tract disease requiring hospitalisation caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in children at high risk of RSV disease, it added.

RSV is a public health challenge faced across the globe today and is the second most common cause of death in children under 1 year of age.

The disease is responsible for nearly 50 per cent of pneumonia cases and up to 90 per cent of bronchiolitis cases among infants.