Steroid drug trial emerging ‘breakthrough’ in the COVID-19 fight.

A common steroid named dexamethasone has shown results in being able to save the lives of COVID-19 patients, being considered as a “major breakthrough” for the coronavirus pandemic. Trials have shown that dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, have reduced the death rates by a third amongst the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital.

The researchers will publish the full result of the trial as soon as possible once some scientists have reviewed the evidence for themselves. The British health ministry has approved for the use of the drug in the state-run health service, introducing export restrictions and stockpiling of 200,000 courses of the treatment.

According to Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor co-leading the RECOVERY trial “It’s going to be very hard for any drug really to replace this, given that for less than 50 pounds ($63), you can treat eight patients and save a life.”

The Recovery Trial has compared outcomes of around 2,100 patients who were randomly assigned the steroids. The results suggest one death would be prevented by treatment with dexamethasone in every eight ventilated Covid-19 patients, Landray said, and one death would be prevented in every 25 Covid-19 patients that received the drug and were on oxygen.

As per Peter Hornby, a co-lead investigator in the RECOVERY Trial, “The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients.”

Story by Anamika SIngh