As India fights the second wave of COVID infections, the government has introduced an anti-COVID medication that has been found to help speed up recovery and minimise oxygen dependency.

The drug, known as 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), was developed in partnership with Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, which is a lab under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the drug’s emergency use as an adjunct or supplement therapy in moderate to serious COVID patients earlier in the month of May.

Here are 5 things you need to know about the 2-DG drug:

1. It gets accumulated in virus-infected cells and stops viral synthesis and energy production, preventing virus development. The selective accumulation of this drug in infected cells is what differentiates it.
2. Trials of the drug revealed a 2.5-day difference in vital signs improvement in COVID-19 symptomatic patients as compared to Standard of Care (SoC).
3. The findings of clinical trials have shown that this molecule aids in the quicker recovery of hospitalised patients and decreases the need for supplemental oxygen.
4. The 2-DG drug comes in powder form and can be taken orally by dissolving it in water.
5. The drug can be conveniently manufactured since it is a generic molecule and a glucose analogue. The drug’s price will be decided by Dr Reddy’s, a DRDO affiliate that manufactures the drug, and will reportedly be based on the scale of production. It is, however, thought to be a low-cost medication.

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