Hyderabad-based pharma giant Dr Reddy's Laboratories today announced the commercial launch of a potential cancer drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), that was reprocessed as medication for Covid-19 patients by the firm in collaboration with the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab run by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The drug had been
okayed for emergency use by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) last month.
In a statement on the release, the drug manufacturing company revealed that it would be supplying the drug to all the major government as well as private hospitals across India. In the initial weeks, the company will make the drug available in hospitals across the metro and tier-1 cities of the nation, and subsequently expand coverage to the rest of India as well.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary (Department of Defence (R&D)) and DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said, "We are pleased to have worked closely with our long-term industry partner Dr Reddy's Laboratories to test and develop 2-DG as a therapeutic supplement in the treatment of Covid-19. The drug is yet another addition to our Covid-19 product portfolio. Our products already cover the treatment of the full spectrum of cases - from mild to moderate and severe conditions. We have also developed a vaccine. The DRDO's INMAS has been contributing in the fight against the pandemic in a number of ways. With this drug, another useful addition has been made to the gamut of Covid-19 medications. This is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Dr Reddy's and us."
2-DG, manufactured by Dr. Reddy's, has a purity of 99.5% and is being sold commercially under the brand name 2DGTM.
An oral drug, it can be administered only upon prescription and under the supervision of a qualified physician to hospitalised moderate to severe Covid-19 patients as an adjunct therapy alongside existing care methods.