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Tag: anti covid drug

  • 10,000 sachets of anti-COVID drug 2-DG to be available in market from today: Rajnath Singh

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed that 10,000 sachets of anti-COVID drug 2-DG will be available in the market from Thursday.

    The anti-COVID drug has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

    Launching the ‘Services e-Health Assistance and Tele-consultation (SeHAT)’ OPD Portal via video conferencing, Singh lauded the armed forces, stating that it is a key step taken at a very critical time for the health of service personnel as it will reduce the load of the hospitals.

    Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh were among those who attended the event.

    Referring to the second wave of the COVID-19, the Defence Minister said, “This wave of COVID is unprecedented and more dangerous than earlier. But the Defence Ministry has rendered its services in the second wave too. DRDO has set up COVID hospitals and oxygen generation plants in Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, and many other parts of the country.”

    He further said that with help of Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Lab, DRDO has produced an essential anti-COVID drug 2-DG.

    “It is yielding positive results. I have been receiving information from many states that they want 2-DG. I am delighted to say that 10,000 sachets are coming to market today,” he added.

    The first batch of the anti-COVID drug was released by Defence Minister Singh and Union Health Minister Sr Harsh Vardhan on May 17.

    DRDO Chairperson Dr G Satheesh Reddy had informed that the first batch of 2-DG would only be available only to AIIMS, Armed Forces Hospitals, DRDO hospitals, and other places in need. It will be made available to other hospitals in June.

    Reddy had also informed that the new anti-COVID drug 2-DG should work against various strains of the COVID-19 virus. 

  • Rajnath Singh, Harsh Vardhan release first batch of DRDO’s anti-COVID drug 2-DG

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday released the first batch of the DRDO-developed anti-COVID drug 2DG here in the national capital. Singh expressed hope that the medicine would be beneficial in the fight against the pandemic.

    “I thank all those who are associated in the research and development of this drug, including DRDO. 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) drug would be helpful in containing the virus. This is an example of our country’s scientific prowess,” Singh said after releasing the drug.

    From Monday onwards, hospitals will receive the supplies. A total of 10,000 sachets of the drug will be supplied to several hospitals in Delhi.

    Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the Anti-COVID drug 2DG to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan (in pic 1). Dr Harsh Vardhan handed over the Anti-COVID drug 2DG to Delhi AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria (in pic 2) pic.twitter.com/4Pl6aBxprw
    — ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021

    The drug comes in a powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique.

    Not only has the drug been found assisting in oxygen dependency, it also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients, said the Defence Minister.

    “I have been informed that people who have been treated with this drug got well two-and-a-half days earlier. We have got to see that dependency on oxygen is reduced by 40 per cent. The best thing is it is in powder form which people can easily mix with water and use,” Rajnath said.

    The drug 2-DG was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad. It was given approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 8 for emergency use in moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. It was put through three phases of trials.

    While assuring that the government is doing its best in dealing with the crisis across the country, the Defence Minister said there would be no impact on the borders. “Our soldiers are full of energy and enthusiasm, guarding the borders. We all know how much bigger the challenges are, we will overcome them,” he said.

    DRDO Chairman G Sateesh Reddy and AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria were also present on the occasion.

  • DRDO’s anti-COVID drug reducing oxygen dependence approved for emergency use

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has granted emergency use approval to an anti-Covid drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) lab. This after a three-phase clinical trial of the drug had shown a faster recovery of hospitalised patients. 

    The Ministry of Defence on Saturday informed that “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 anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-DG has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.

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     The work on the drug began in April 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic. INMAS-DRDO scientists conducted laboratory experiments with the help of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. The final phase III trial of the drug was conducted from December 2020 to March this year and it was found that this molecule works effectively against SARS-CoV-2 virus and inhibits its growth.

    Based on these results, the DCGI’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) permitted a Phase-II clinical trial of 2-DG in COVID-19 patients in May 2020.

    The DRDO, along with its industry partner DRL, Hyderabad, started clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of the drug in COVID-19 patients. In Phase-II trials (including dose-ranging) conducted from May to October 2020, the drug was found to be safe in COVID-19 patients and showed significant improvement in their recovery. 

    Phase IIa was conducted in six hospitals and Phase IIb (dose-ranging) clinical trials was conducted across 11 hospitals all over the country. Phase-II trial was conducted on 110 patients.

    In efficacy trends, the MoD said patients treated with 2-DG showed faster symptomatic cure than Standard of Care (SoC) on various endpoints. A significantly favourable trend (2.5 days difference) was seen in terms of the median time to achieving normalisation of specific vital signs parameters when compared to SoC.

    Based on successful results, DCGI further permitted the Phase-III clinical trials in November 2020.

    The Phase-III clinical trial was conducted on 220 patients between December 2020 to March 2021 at 27 COVID hospitals in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

    The detailed data of phase-III clinical trials was presented to the DCGI. It was found that a significantly higher proportion of patients given the drug improved symptomatically and became free from supplemental oxygen dependence (42% vs 31%) by Day 3, indicating an early relief from oxygen therapy/dependence.

    The similar trend was observed in patients aged more than 65 years. 

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    On May 1, 2021, DCGI granted permission for emergency use of this drug as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country.

    The drug comes in powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents the growth of the virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique.

    In the ongoing second COVID-19 wave, a large number of patients are facing severe oxygen dependency and need hospitalisation. The drug is expected to save precious lives due to the mechanism of operation of the drug in infected cells. This also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients. ALSO WATCH: