The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Mylan Laboratories Limited, the India-based subsidiary of leading global pharmaceutical company Mylan, have announced a partnership to address unmet patient needs amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the partnership, CSIR’s constituent laboratory Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), and Mylan will collaborate to identify potential therapies for COVID-19.

A series of clinical trials will be conducted towards new and innovative solutions to manage COVID-19 pandemic in India as part of this collaboration.

The first of the clinical trial to be rolled out is a multiple arm phase 3 study that will be conducted in adult patients with mild to moderate COVID -19 at risk of complications.

Director General of CSIR, Dr. Shehkar C Mande stated, “The current collaboration with Mylan is a significant milestone and during the current COVID-19 pandemic, CSIR has prioritized conducting clinical trials of well proven drugs in partnership with industry towards the development of multiple therapeutic options for COVID-19.”

Director of CSIR-IICT, Dr Chandrasekhar said, “CSIR is delighted to associate with Mylan as knowledge and scientific partner, and looks forward to working with the company, especially given Mylan’s vast industry experience in clinical trials and commercialization.”

Mylan Chief Operating Officer, Sanjeev Sethi stated, “Our collaboration with CSIR is a strategic step forward aimed at identifying effective treatments for patients with COVID-19. In addition to bringing forward new indications, this partnership will also help us identify multiple molecules that can potentially be leveraged in therapies for various other infectious diseases in the future.”

The application for the clinical trials has been submitted to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for regulatory approval.

CSIR has appointed Dr. Ram Vishwakarma, Honorary Advisor to DG-CSIR and former Director CSIR-IIIM (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine) as a mentor to lead this collaboration.