India's first indigenous anti-COVID drug 2-DG is a "repurposed" medicine, the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Thursday. According to ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava, the drug was earlier used for cancer treatment.
"DRDO's 2 DG drug is a repurposed medicine, not a new medicine. It was earlier used for cancer treatment. Its trial results have been given to DCGI," Dr. Bhargava said at a press conference today.
Meanwhile, the government will consider including the drug in the national COVID-19 treatment protocol after examining the data of the medicine. Days back, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted permission for emergency use of the drug after looking at the data.
The drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose has been developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.
The drug could be a game-changer in the battle against pandemic as it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces oxygen dependence.
The 2-DG (2-deoxy-D-glucose) is an anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug.
According to a PTI report, clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. Higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients.
READ MORE: DRDO's 2-DG drug for treating Covid-19 patients launched; to reduce dependence on oxygen
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