New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Thursday said it has received approval from the US health regulator to initiate clinical trials for its drug 'Desidustat' in treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA).

Desidustat is a novel drug which is also currently undergoing phase-III trials for treating anemia in chronic kidney disease patients and phase-II studies for management of COVID-19 patients.

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In a regulatory filing, Zydus Cadila said it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to initiate clinical trials of Desidustat in CIA.

Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj R Patel said CIA is a serious unmet medical need and there is a need for novel therapies to address this condition.

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“Desidustat has been specifically designed to improve haemoglobin, reduce hepcidin and thereby treat anemia,” he added.

Shares of Cadila Healthcare, the listed entity of the group, were trading at Rs 369.95 apiece on BSE, 0.91 per cent higher against their previous close.

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