A Preliminary Study: The Efficacy of Inexpensive Dexamethasone Drug Against Coronavirus

Dexamethasone is an inexpensive and accessible drug that can save the lives of some COVID-19 patients. British researchers say that if this drug had been used in a timely manner, it could have saved thousands of lives.

British researchers in a preliminary study concluded that dexamethasone, a drug used in treating infectious and inflammatory diseases, can save the lives of some COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized and connected to ventilators.

More than 11,000 people registered at 175 clinics to participate in this research, which was conducted under the supervision of Oxford University.

2,104 COVID-19 patients took six milligrams of dexamethasone daily for ten days, while 4,321 patients with similar severity did not receive this drug.

After 28 days, researchers studying those who had taken the drug concluded that the risk of death among patients who had severe lung damage and were unable to breathe on their own and were on ventilators decreased from 40 percent to 28 percent, and for patients receiving supplemental oxygen, it decreased from 25 percent to 20 percent.

The condition of patients who were not severely ill showed no change.

In other words, this drug is most beneficial for patients with severe illness and can save one out of every eight patients from death.

Researchers also concluded that the breakdown of the body’s immune system due to severe viral spread and damage to internal organs plays a decisive role in the final stage of COVID-19 disease.

Inexpensive and Accessible

Peter Horby, one of these researchers, says: “This is the first drug shown to be able to improve the chances of survival for COVID-19 patients.”

Dexamethasone is an inexpensive drug that is normally used to reduce inflammation and prevent infection. Thus, if dexamethasone’s effects are confirmed in subsequent trials, poor countries can also use it on a large scale.

Nick Cammock, an expert at the Wellcome Foundation, which was one of the supporters of Oxford University’s research, spoke of a “remarkable achievement,” and the British Ministry of Health immediately added dexamethasone to the list of standard drugs for combating COVID-19.

Source: DW