New Delhi: The Drugs Controller General of India gives a nod to drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose. The use of 2-DG drug which is developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Lab is given approval for emergency usage. The clinical trial results of drug has shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. The another plus point shown in results is that a hogher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in patients infected with coronavirus. It is expected that this drug will immense benefit to the people suffering from COVID-19 in the ongoing pandemic. Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in large quantities in the country. The drug comes in a sachet in powder form, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique. Meanwhile, India on Friday reported over 4.01 lakh fresh COVID-19 cases and more than four thousand cases in the last 24 hours. About 4187 people succumbed to the deadly infection. The total caseload surpassed the 2.18-lakh mark, while the death count climbed to 238270. Also Read: SAJA discourages usage of term ‘Indian variant’ for new COVID strain Mumbai: Two health workers left patient at mortuary gate, suspended What are your zodiac signs saying today, here's your horoscope