As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, the Drugs Controller General of India has approved an oral drug developed by the DRDO for emergency usage. The anti-COVID-19 medication can be used as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe patients. According to the Defence Ministry, the 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) drug was developed in collaboration with Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.
According to officials, the 2-DG drug had been shown to help ensure faster recovery of hospitalised patients as well as reducing supplemental oxygen dependence during clinical trials. The drug accumulates in infected cells, preventing virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. The Defence Ministry contends that its selective accumulation in virally-infected cells makes this drug unique.
The drug has been developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad. It comes in a powdered form in sachets and has to be consumed orally after dissolving in water. According to Dr Sudhir Chandna of the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, work on the drug had begun over a year ago, in April 2020.
“On May 01, DCGI granted permission for emergency use of this drug as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country,” the ministry said in a statement.
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