The race to develop an effective vaccine for the
coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing and countries are trying their best to
produce one. In the latest development, India has once again strived to
develop an indigenous anti-Covid drug.
This time the anti-viral drug has been developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) and received the approval from the country’s top drug controller for emergency use.
The news came at a time when India is battling against the contagious Covid-19 while reeling under the acute shortage of medical oxygen, beds, etc.
The latest anti-Covid drug formed by DRDO is in powder form in a sachet and it can be taken orally by just dissolving in water.
The drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) has been developed at the DRDO lab and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the emergency use after the clinical trials projected that a molecule present in the drug boosts the recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces the need of medical oxygen.
Also Read: Covid-19 Crisis: SC constitutes National Task Force to look into oxygen distribution
Apart from this, patients who were treated with this powdery drug tested Covid negative when their RT-PCT tests were conducted.
The second phase trials of the drug, which were done on 110 patients took place between May and October 2020, the drug was found to be safe and effective as it showed that affected patients were recovering at a fast pace.
The third round trials were conducted in six hospitals with the “dose-ranging” in other 11 hospitals across India.
It may be noted here that India on Saturday recorded over 4 lakh new infection cases with 4,187 fresh deaths.