Anti-Covid-19 drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), will be effective against any new variants of Coronavirus, according to the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

“Based on the mechanism of this drug, it will be effective against any new variants of the SARS-CoV-2,” said Anant Narayan Bhatt, Senior Scientist and Lead Developer, 2DG, INMAS.

He was speaking at a seminar on 2DG, organised jointly by the Federation of Telangana Chamber of Commerce (FTCCI) and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, on Tuesday. “The drug has shown a very promising response in reducing the requirement of supplemental oxygen and faster symptomatic cure.

“The similar safety and efficacy trends were observed in the patient’s age group 65 years also,” he said.

Emergency-use approval has been granted in India for 2DG, developed by DRDO in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

Price of drug

The commercial roll out of the drug, which has already been soft-launched, will be in mid-June at a price of ₹990 per sachet.

It comes in powder form, and can be administered only on prescription to hospitalised Covid patients as an adjunct therapy, along with the existing care.

G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, DRDO, said: “2-DG effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 growth in Covid-19 patients due to its unique mechanism of action. Production of drug is easily scalable and it can be easily stored and distributed.”

‘Key add-on’

Deepak Sapra, CEO, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, said that 2DG will represent “an important add-on therapy to the standard of care for moderate to severe category patients all over India”.

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s has already commenced manufacturing of the drug.

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