The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad has developed the drug.
The anti-Covid drug was cleared after the clinical trial results revealed that a molecule present in the drug helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.
As per findings, a higher proportion of patients treated with the drug tested negative for Covid in RT-PCR tests.
Based on these findings, DCGI Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had given permission for the phase-II clinical trial of 2-DG in Covid-19 patients in May 2020.
After conducting the phase 2 trial it was found that the drug accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. It was also revealed that the drug comes in powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water.
Following its success in the phase 2 trial, the Phase-III clinical trial was conducted on 220 patients from December 2020 to March 2021 at 27 Covid-19 hospitals across the states of Delhi, UP, West Bengal, Gujrat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
-(NAV, Inputs: Agencies)
