An anti-coronavirus drug developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be launched tomorrow, with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh distributing around 10,000 doses to some hospitals in the national capital.
The drug, called 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG, was developed by a DRDO lab in collaboration with Hyderabad-based pharma giant, Dr Reddy's Laboratories. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the country's top drug regulator, has approved the medicine for emergency use.
The drug had shown promising results in its phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials. The medicine was found to be safe for COVID-19 patients in phase 2 trials, conducted between May and October. It was also found to be effective in cutting short the hospital stays of patients and reducing supplemental oxygen dependence.
Experts say a kind of pseudo glucose molecule in the drug stops the virus in its tracks.
The medicine comes in powder form and can be taken with water.
2-DG is one of the few medicines across the world that has been designed specifically to treat COVID-19, which, as of now, has no cure. Doctors use several experimental drugs and procedures, including Remdevisir, Ivermectin, plasma therapy and some steroids, to treat the deadly infection.
