India’s drug regulator DCGI has given the green signal for a glucose analogue called ‘2-DG’ for COVID treatment on an emergency basis. This is to be used as an adjunct treatment mechanism to supplement the primary treatment that is given to the patients.
“The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given permission for the emergency use of drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 cases,” said Defence Research and Development Organisation on Saturday.
“Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty. It has been developed by the DRDO lab-Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences-in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. Clinical trials have shown that this molecule helps in the faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence,” the release added.
In 2020, Patanjali had published a research paper about using this drug for COVID treatment. “The 2-DG can dock efficiently with viral main protease 3CLpro as well as NSP15 endoribonuclease, thus efficiently inactivating these viral receptors leading to incapacitation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Such incapacitation was possible by means of the formation of a hydrogen bond between 2-DG and proline residues of viral protease. The 2-DG derivative formed a hydrogen bond with the glutamine amino acid residues of the viral spike glycoprotein,” their paper said. Following this, DRDO had collaborated with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to develop the analogue ‘2-DG’. After clinical trials were successful, it was submitted for approval to the DCGI and has now been approved for usage.
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