The first batch of Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) anti-COVID drug 2-DG will be released on Monday by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
In a tweet, the Office of Defence Minister said the first batch of 2-DG will be released via video conferencing facility at 10:30 AM on Monday.
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh will release the first batch of Anti Covid drug 2DG via video conferencing facility tomorrow at 10.30 AM. The drug has been developed by DRDO's Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS) in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories.
- रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) May 16, 2021
The 2-DG (2-deoxy-D-glucose), an anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug, has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.
The 2-DG drug helps in faster recovery of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients and also lessens oxygen dependence.
The PM CARES Fund had on May 12 also approved the procurement of 1,50,000 units of oxycare system developed by DRDO at a cost of Rs 322.5 crore. Oxycare is a SpO2 based oxygen supply system which regulates the oxygen being administered to patients based on the sensed SpO2 levels.
Under the sanction, 1,00,000 manual and 50,000 automatic oxycare systems along with non-rebreather masks are being procured, the defence ministry said in a release.