There have been more that 8 million COVID-19 cases recorded across the world till date. While people continue to recover from the virus, with no 'cure' thus far, things remain uncertain. So far, over 437,400 people have passed away.
The situation however may change soon. Researchers in England say that a steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients. The drug was given either orally or through an IV and reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines, and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients.
The results were announced on Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon. The study is a large, strict test that randomly assigned 2,104 patients to get the drug and compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care.
What is dexamethasone?
To quote the NCBI, it is a "synthetic adrenal corticosteroid with potent anti-inflammatory properties". Dexamethasone is usually taken in a tablet form or in a dissolvable, liquid and syrup version. Apart from its ability to treat many inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, Dexamethasone is used to counteract the side effects faced by people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, and to pregnant women to help promote the maturation of the fetus' lungs if necessary.
As one of the study leaders, Peter Horby of the University of Oxford put it, "Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide."
This is the same study that earlier this month showed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was not working against the coronavirus. The study enrolled more than 11,000 patients in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who were given either standard of care or that plus one of several treatments: the HIV combo drug lopinavir-ritonavir, the antibiotic azithromycin; the steroid dexamethasone, the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab, or plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that contains antibodies to fight the virus.
Research is continuing on the other treatments. The research is funded by government health agencies in the United Kingdom and private donors including the?Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
(with inputs from agencies)
