Corona medicine developed by DRDO gets DCGI nod, Conclusions that 2-DG drug reduces Oxygen dependence

New Delhi: – 2-DG, a drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation against the Coronavirus, may play an essential role in the fight against Coronavirus. At the same time, more than 4,000 patients are dying because of the pandemic every day, and many patients require Oxygen support. The test reports that the DRDO drug has raised the hopes. On Saturday, the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCA) permitted the use of this drug for emergency. The drug will soon be available in the market. Pharma company Dr Reddy’s Laboratory has been assigned the responsibility to manufacture the drug.

There is a tremendous strain created on the health systems in the country as the number of active Coronavirus cases has reached 3.5 million. The demand for medical Oxygen has increased manifold, as many of the patients are coming with low Oxygen levels and need Oxygen support. This has also created a shortage of Oxygen. Indian allies are supplying equipment like Oxygen producing plants, Oxygen generators and Oxygen concentrators on a large scale. At the same time, India is also importing the equipment on a large scale. Stress is also being given on building Oxygen producing plants. Still, because of the ever-increasing number of Coronavirus patients, there will be a vast Oxygen requirement.

In such times, the DRDO has developed 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG) drug, against Coronavirus, in its laboratory, Institute of Nuclear Medicines and Allied Sciences. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology from Hyderabad also has played a significant role in developing the drug.

The testing of the drug has demonstrated that Corona-infected patients get cured faster with 2-DG. Also, the Oxygen dependency of the patients having low Oxygen levels ends earlier with this medicine. DRDO had already started work on developing this drug during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. After completing the initial trials in April, permission was sought for further trials and the second stage trials started in May. These trials were conducted in 11 hospitals around the country. The trials showed that the patient gets cured at least two and a half to three days earlier with this drug.

After that, the permission for third stage trials was received in November. The third stage of clinical trials was conducted during the period December 2020 to March 2021. These trials were conducted in 27 hospitals in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. It was observed that the Oxygen requirement of 42% of the patients with low Oxygen levels ended in just three days with the administration of this drug. Therefore, hopes have been raised that this drug will prove effective for the treatment of Coronavirus patients.

This drug has been developed using the drugs developed for the treatment of cancer. An official informed that the drug is in powder form and has to be mixed in water and administered orally. As per the DRDO claim, the drug starts action by identifying the cells affected by Coronavirus. The virus needs glucose for growth. If glucose is not available, the virus dies. As per researchers, this drug, prepared as a sugar analogue, works on the same principle and stops the spread of Coronavirus.