(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the drug Actemra for the treatment of hospitalized COVID- 19 adults and pediatric patients, the health agency said on Thursday.
The EUA was issued to Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche Holding AG.
The drug can be used to treat patients who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, FDA said.
Actemra is not authorized for use in outpatients with COVID-19, the agency said.
(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)