As India fights the second wave of the pandemic, which is killing thousands every day, the country's top drugs controller has approved a drug developed by the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation) for emergency use.

The medication comes in powder form in a sachet and is taken by dissolving it in water and swallowing it.

The anti-Covid therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose was developed by a DRDO lab and Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories (2-DG).

After clinical trial findings showed that a molecule present in the drug aids in the faster recovery of hospitalized patients and decreases supplementary oxygen dependency, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the drug.

In RT-PCR studies, a higher percentage of patients treated with the drug tested negative for Covid.

The drug was found to be safe in COVID-19 patients in the second phase of trials, which took place between May and October of last year, and showed substantial progress in their recovery. A total of 110 patients took part in the second round. Although the third round of trials took place in six hospitals across India, "dose-ranging" took place in 11 hospitals.

Massive foreign assistance is flooding in as India reports a shortage of critical medicines, medical oxygen, and other supplies required for COVID patients after the country's healthcare system was crippled by a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases.

Even as more states placed lockdowns in a desperate attempt to stop the devastating new surge, India reported 4,187 coronavirus deaths today, the highest daily count so far. Over 4.01 lakh new infections were reported, bringing the total number of cases to over 2.18 million.