With the country battling the second wave of Covid-19 infections, The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Saturday approved a drug developed by the DRDO for emergency use. The drug - 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) - has been approved as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe cases of coronavirus.

"Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence," an official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was quoted as saying.

In April of this year, the DCGI granted emergency approval to a similar drug produced by pharma giant Zydus Cadila. The drug - Virafin - was shown to reduce the need for oxygen support among moderate cases of Covid-19, along with improving recovery time.

Source: India Today