In a swift move which can change the protocol for treating Covid patients ,the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the country’s drugs regulator, on Saturday granted approval for the emergency use of an oral drug, developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), for the treatment of moderate to severe coronavirus patients.
“DCGI has granted permission for emergency use of therapeutic application of drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients,” the DRDO said.
The agency said that the oral drug “can be easily produced and made available in plenty” being a “generic molecule and analogue of glucose”.
The DRDO, a government agency charged with the military’s research and development, developed 2-DG with the help of Hyderabad based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.
A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients.
In efficacy trends, the patients treated with 2-DG showed faster symptomatic cure than Standard of Care (SoC) on various endpoints, the DRDO said.
The drug comes in powder form in sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.
India is battling the second wave of coronavirus infections with many states grappling with an acute shortage of medical oxygen, beds, and crucial medicines.
It will not be out of place to mention that country’s COVID-19 tally crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4. In view of an unprecedented surge in coronavirus infections, many states have imposed partial/complete lockdowns or night curfew besides putting in place several other preventive measures.
Report- Vikas Chandra Agrawal