Odisha Govt Places Order For DRDO’s 2DG Anti-COVID Drug

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Saturday placed the order for 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), the oral antiviral drug for COVID-19 patients developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Informing the media here, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradipta Mohapatra said that the state government has placed an order with Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) for purchasing 5000 sachets of 2DG drugs.

It was launched on May 17.

The oral drug developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with the DRL was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) earlier this month for emergency use as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of critical COVID patients.

Clinical trials of the drug showed that it facilitates faster recovery of critical COVID patients and reduces dependence on supplemental oxygen. A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients.