Rajnath Singh, Harsh Vardhan release 1st batch of DRDO's anti-COVID-19 drug 2-DG

New Delhi: Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday released the first batch of Anti-Covid drug 2DG developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

With the support of DRDO and in the leadership of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, this (Anti-COVID drug 2DG) may be our first indigenous research-based outcome to fight against Covid-19. It will reduce recovery time and oxygen dependency," Vardhan.

Vardhan said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the DRDO has played an important role in the fight against Covid-19. "Not just for India but I hope it serves in the fight against Covid, globally in the coming days. I thank and congratulate DRDO and its scientists." he added.

Singh said under the leadership of the PM, the issue of oxygen production has been resolved with collective effort. "We will not be at ease and will not be tired but will keep fighting and will win against Covid-19. Now medicine issue is also not there much," Singh added.

This comes after the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) approved the oral drug for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus patients.

Earlier on May 8, the defence ministry said the clinical trials of the drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), showed that it helps in a faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.

"In the ongoing second Covid-19 wave, a large number of patients are facing severe oxygen dependency and need hospitalisation. The drug is expected to save precious lives due to the mechanism of its operation in the infected cells. This also reduces the hospital stay of Covid-19 patients," the ministry had said.

The anti-Covid therapeutic application of the drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) along with Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad.

The ministry said the drug comes in a powder form in a sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.

It further said that patients treated with 2-DG showed a faster symptomatic cure than the standard of care (SoC) on various endpoints.

The approval of the drug has come at a time when the nation is struggling with a deadly second wave of the coronavirus disease.