New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tonday (May 17, 2021) released the first batch of the anti-Covid-19 drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) to strengthen India’s fight against the coronavirus.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria were also present during the release.
Over 10,000 doses of the 2-DG drug, which comes in powder form and is taken orally by dissolving it in water, were launched.
The anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.
It was approved for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on 1 May.
Back in April 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus in India, the INMAS-DRDO scientists conducted laboratory experiments with the help of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and found that this molecule works effectively against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inhibits the viral growth.
Based on these results, the DCGI Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) permitted Phase-II clinical trial of 2-DG in Covid-19 patients in May 2020.