The 10,000 doses of the anti-Covid-19 drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in association with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, will be available from early next week.
“The drug manufacturers are working on ramping up the production of the medicine for future use. The drug has been developed by a team of DRDO scientists including Dr. Anant Narayan Bhatt,” DRDO officials said.
Karnataka Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar on Friday had said that this drug can be a game-changer as it results in “faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces oxygen dependence”
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission for the emergency use of 2-DG for the treatment of moderate and severe covid patients on Saturday last week. The drug will be used as an assistant treatment with primary treatment.
DRDO had earlier said that their clinical trials have shown that the molecule present in the drug helps in faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.
It can be easily produced in India and made available in plenty to the citizens as it is a generic molecule and analog of glucose.