Anti-Covid Drug 2DG's Commercial Launch Announced by Dr Reddy's Laboratories

NEW DELHI:

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced the commercial release of anti-Covid medication 2DG, which was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, on Monday (DRDO).  The maximum retail price of the 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) is Rs 990 per sachet, announced Dr Reddy"s Laboratories on Monday.  According to a regulatory filing, Dr. Reddy's would provide the medication to major government as well as private hospitals across India. 

"Ideally, 2DG should be prescribed as early as possible by doctors for moderate to severe Covid patients for a maximum duration of up to 10 days," it said. 

The DRDO also said that patients with uncontrolled diabetes, major cardiac problems, ARDS, severe hepatic and renal impairment have not yet been investigated with 2DG, and therefore they should be careful and take the drug with precautions.  

"The 2DG should not be given to pregnant and lactating women and patients below 18 years," it added.

The medicine produced by the company has a purity of 99.5 percent and is commercially available under the brand name 2DG. The maximum retail price (MRP) of each sachet has been set at Rs 990, with a discounted cost available to government institutions, according to Dr Reddy"s. 

The first batch of the DRDO's anti-Covid-19 drug was released on May 17 by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) authorised the emergency use of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), an anti-viral drug, as an adjunct therapy for moderate to severe coronavirus patients. 

Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients. The drug will be of immense benefit to the people suffering from COVID-19. 

The 2DG drug comes in the form of a sachet of powder that is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It builds up in virus-infected cells and inhibits virus development by preventing viral synthesis and energy generation. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells distinguishes this drug.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the medication decreases a patient's average recovery time by two and a half days and oxygen consumption by up to 40%. 

"2-DG is yet another addition to our COVID-19 portfolio that already covers the full spectrum of mild to moderate and severe conditions and includes a vaccine. We are extremely pleased to have partnered with DRDO in our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," Dr Reddy's Chairman Satish Reddy said. 

According to Dr. Reddy's, the medication can only be given to hospitalised moderate to severe COVID-19 patients on a prescription and under the supervision of a trained physician as an additional therapy to the existing standard of care. 

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