Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories announces commercial launch of 2-deoxy-D-glucose

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Dr. Reddy’s today 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 Laboratories has a purity of 99.5% and is being sold commercially under the brand name 2DGTM. The maximum retail price (MRP) of each sachet has been fixed at Rs. 990, with a subsidized rate offered to Government institutions. Enquiries for 2DGTM can be sent to- 2DG@drreddys.com.

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 Laboratories.

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 COVID-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.

The 2DG drug comes in powder form in the 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. The drug reportedly reduces a patient’s average recovery time by two and a half days and oxygen demand by up to 40%.