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New Delhi, May 8
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use approval to DRDO-developed oral drug to treat Covid, the Ministry of Defence said today.
The drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), has been cleared for adjunct therapy in moderate to severe patients. A generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country.
How it works
It accumulates in virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth
It stops viral synthesis and energy production; ensures faster recovery
The drug has been developed by DRDO’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad. It comes in powder form and is taken orally by dissolving it in water. The drug accumulates in virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.