2dg – An anti-covid drug

Finally a sign of relief is visible now when the anti-COVID drug is going to be available in order to fight against the virus COVID-19, which have took the shape of a big monster in everyone’s life. This is the first drug to be called by the name ANTI – COVID-19 DRUG.

Let’s get to know more of it.

2DG or 2dg

Full form: 2– Deoxy –d–glucose.

Developed by: Defence Research andDevelopment Organization[DRDO].

Approved by: Drugs Controller General ofIndia [DCGI].

The 2dg or 2-deoxy-d-glucose is an anti-COVID therapeutic oral drug. The medicine got approval from DCGI for the emergency usage as an adjuvant therapy in those patients who are suffering from moderate to severe COVID infection.

Adjuvant therapies are referred to those which are given primarily to maximize the effectiveness of several other treatments.

Here the drug is also in stage of adjuvant therapy mode that is; it can maximize the positive effects of other medicines or prescriptions given to a patient.

How to consume 2dg?

The 2-Deoxy-d-glucose is made in powdered form and packed in small sachets. Thus, it could be ingested orally just by dissolving in water like an ORS solution.

The amount of consumption is not allotted in general. While, it will be prescribed by the physician; for whom? By how much? and when? As the patients might be suffering from other comorbidities.

Why 2dg is most preferable for COVID-19?

It is observed in several clinical trials that the drug 2dg is helpful in minimizing the sufferings for hospitalized patients and also it is proven to be decreasing the dependency of patients on supplemental oxygen that is the oxygen cylinders.

And thus the drug is most preferable against COVID-19 virus to save lives, when there is a severe scarcity of beds and oxygen cylinders in hospitals.

How 2dg does works in body?

The molecule of the drug 2dg is proven to might be favouring the faster recovery of COVID-19 infective patients and get back home soon. Thus, it needs to work in body on a faster rate too.

The drug once ingested in human body, spreads throughout like glucose and starts recognizing the infected cells present inside. So, as to prevent the growth of virus by obstructing its process of synthesizing itself.

Once becoming an obstacle for the virus, the drug also destroys the protein’s energy production in body which favours the growth of virus.

The drug also spreads evenly in lungs thus preventing the damage and growing immune system. And hence, decreasing the dependency of patient on oxygen supplements.

How the virus does grow?

The COVID-19 virus enters the human body in active form and ones entering inside the body, it starts behaving like a part of body by using energy from the body and making copies of own cells from human cells and uses the protein to multiply at large scale.

What is the process by which 2dg obstructs COVID-19 virus growth?

Here in human body the virus once enters starts copying out itself to multiply and for this procedure it needs energy. This very energy available in human body is in the form of glucose that is C₆H₁₂O₆.

Now this is the point from were the 2dg starts working. The 2dg drug is “pseudo glucose”, that is a false glucose molecule. The molecular formula of 2dg is C₆H₁₂O₅.

The molecular formula itself predicts the difference. In the 2dg drug the 2-hydroxyl group is replaced by one hydrogen atom and hence behaves as pseudo glucose. Due to which it does not undergo further glycolysis and works as inhibitor for energy production.

The virus fails to predict this difference between the pseudo glucose and glucose and thus the fish falls in trap.

The virus take in the drug and the drug stops the multiplication of virus. And once the multiplication or procedure of growth is obstructed or halted, the antibodies present in patients body starts working again to fight against the foreigner.

Thus the body itself combats and over power within hours.

Thanks to the researchers of Institute Of Nuclear Medicine And Allied Science which falls under Defence Research and Development Organization[DRDO] and also the Dr. Reddy’s laboratories work.

May this drug give a fruitful result in each case and save all lives from the virus soon.

Be healthy. Be safe. Be at home.