The drug comes in powder form in a sachet and can be consumed with water.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an anti-coronavirus oral drug that was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use on May 1, 2021, and will be launched on Monday. The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will distribute around 10,000 doses of the drug in some hospitals in Delhi, reported NDTV.
The drug, called 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG, was developed by a leading laboratory of the DRDO, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) in collaboration with the Dr Reddy's Laboratories that is a Hyderabad-based pharma giant. The drug comes in powder form in a sachet and can be consumed with water.
According to the clinical trials of the drug, it helped in faster recovery of the Covid infected patients and also reduced dependence on supplemental oxygen. Earlier, the ministry had said, "It accumulates in the virus infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally-infected cells makes this drug unique."
India reported 2.81 lakh new Covid cases in the last 24 hours. The number has dropped below the 3 lakh-mark for the first time since April 21.
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