South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion Inc. said Monday its COVID-19 antibody treatment has won an emergency approval from Peruvian authorities.

The drug authority in the South American country granted the approval for an emergency application of Rekirona to adult COVID-19 patients.

The approval was based on recent top-line results from a global phase three clinical study of Rekirona, a pivotal part of the study to obtain more comprehensive safety and efficacy results.

Rekirona is a monoclonal antibody with activity against COVID-19. A monoclonal antibody is a type of protein that has been designed to attach to a specific structure.

It takes the form of an intravenous injection that is directly injected for 60 minutes.

In February, Rekirona won the South Korean drug safety agency's conditional approval, becoming the first locally made treatment for COVID-19.

The drug further won overseas approval for an emergency application in Indonesia and Brazil.

Celltrion said Rekirona reduces the risk of COVID-19 progressing to severe levels. The company said the antibody treatment also reduced the recovery time. (Yonhap)