Dr Reddy’s Laboratories announced the commercial launch of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG).
Dr Reddy’s will supply to major government as well as private hospitals across India. In the initial weeks, the company will make the drug available in hospitals across metros and Tier 1 cities, and subsequently expand coverage to the rest of India.
2-DG manufactured by Dr Reddy’s has a purity of 99.5 per cent and is being sold commercially under the brand name 2DG. The maximum retail price (MRP) of each sachet has been fixed at Rs 990, with a subsidized rate offered to government institutions.
2-DG was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s 2-DG is an oral drug. It can be administered only upon prescription and under the supervision of a qualified physician to hospitalised moderate to severe COVI D-19 patients as an adjunct therapy to the existing standard of care. Emergency use approval for anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug was granted on May 1, 2021.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence (R&D) and Chairman, DRDO said, “We are pleased to have worked closely with our long-term industry partner Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad, for testing 2-DG as a therapeutic application in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. DRDO has been contributing in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with its spin-off technologies.”
Satish Reddy, Chairman, Dr Reddy’s said, “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.”