The Drugs Controller General of India has approved an anti-COVID oral drug, developed by DRDO, for emergency use as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus patients, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
It said clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) showed that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence
The drug has been developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad.
The 2-DG comes in powder form in sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.
Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country,
