First Batch of Anti-COVID Drug 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Launched; DRDO Forecasts Reduced Hospitalisation

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan launched the first batch of the Anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose(2DG) curated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. The organization’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine developed the drug in coalition with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

 DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said that DRDO and Dr Reddy’s lab had gone through the complete trials and conducted trials across 30 hospitals on a large number of patients. The DRDO officials released the first batch of 10,000 doses of 2DG as scheduled. On Friday, they had scheduled the launch of their pilot drug during the first days of the coming week.

The drug is supplied in powder form in a sachet. It needs to be consumed orally in the form of a solution after being dissolved in water. Following ingestion, it accumulates in the virus-infected cells and deters the growth by inhibiting synthesis and energy production. The drug is expected to ward off severe oxygen dependency issues faced by critically ill COVID patients. It is expected to save precious lives due to its mechanism of action in infected cells. This also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients, the manufacturers.