Dr Reddys announces commercial launch of DRDO’s anti-covid drug 2-DG; Here are its price and availability

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratory announced the commercial launch of the anti-Covid-19 drug, 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG) for hospitalized moderate to severe Covid-19 patients. The anti-Covid therapeutic application of 2-DG has been jointly developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

The drug will be supplied to both Government and private Covid-19 health facilities across India. “ The drugs initially will be available at hospitals across metros and Tier 1 cities and in later course expand coverage to rest of the nation, said a company statement.

The drug, 2-DB will be sold commercially under the brands 2DGTM. The company claims that the drug has a purity of 99.5 percent. The drug that received the nod of the Drug Controller General of India’s on May 1, 2021, can be administered only upon prescription to hospitalised moderate to severe Covid-19 patients as an additional therapy to the existing care, under the supervision of a qualified physician.

Each sachet of 2-DG has been fixed at Rs 990 per sachet. The government institutions will receive at a subsidized rate.

Satish Reddy, Chairman, Dr. Reddy’s in the official statement said that 2-DG is another addition to the company’s existing COVID-19 treatment portfolio for mild to moderate and severe conditions and includes a vaccine. Dr Reddy’s has signed an agreement to distribute Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V in partnership with Snowman Logistics. The Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh had earlier announced that he would personally honour the scientists who played a critical role in the development of the drug as they deserve credit for this achievement.

How 2-DG works

2-DG, made of the generic molecule along with an analogue of glucose, accumulates in the virus-infected cells of the body and prevents the invasion of the virus from one cell to another. Viral synthesis and energy production of the virus is cut short stopping it to grow faster helping Covid patients to no longer depend on supplemental oxygen and recover faster.

Initial trials for the drug were conducted between May and October last year at 110 patients at six hospitals. The final phase of the clinical trials was concluded in March 2021 on 220 patients at 27 Covid hospitals. The data from the 2-DG trials suggested the drug usage was safe and Covid-19 patients showed significant recovery.