The Anti-COVID drug was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad.
Drugs Controller General of India has approved an anti-COVID drug, developed by DRDO, for use in emergency treatment as a combination therapy for patients with acute coronavirus, the Department of Defense said on Saturday. He said clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) have shown that it helps in quickly finding patients in hospitals and reduces dependence on oxygen supplementation.
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.
The 2-DG comes in powder form in sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.
“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.
“It accumulates in the virus infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally-infected cells makes this drug unique,” the ministry said.
