Just In: Anti-COVID-19 Drug 2DG Launched

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an anti-Coronavirus drug which is probably first of its kind in the world. This has been released by Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Health minister Harshavardhan shortly in New Delhi.

The drug is called 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG and DRDO developed this in collaboration with Hyderabad based Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. Upon developing the drug, the DRDO approached Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the country’s top drug regulator and later it was approved for emergency use.

2-DG is designed specifically to treat COVID-19 and it comes in powder form and can be taken with water. The drug went through phase trials for Covid-19 patients and during the second phase, it has shown positive results.

Speaking on the occasion health minister Harshavardhan congratulated the team of DRDO who developed the drug and added that this is our indigenous research-based outcome to fight against Covid-19. The drug 2-DG will reduce recovery time and supplemental oxygen dependence.

Initially this drug will be supplied to selected hospitals in the national capital, New Delhi. The DRDO aims to ramp up the manufacturing depending upon the responses from Covid-19 patients.