A preliminary study: The effectiveness of the cheap drug dexamethasone against coronavirus

Dexamethasone is a cheap and widely available drug that could save the lives of some people with COVID-19. British researchers say that if the drug had been used in a timely manner, it could have saved thousands of lives.

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

More than 11,000 people registered at 175 clinics to participate in the study, which was led by the University of Oxford.

Two thousand 104 patients with COVID-19 took six milligrams of dexamethasone daily for ten days, and 4 thousand 321 patients with similar severity did not use the drug.

After 28 days of taking the drug, researchers found that the risk of death among patients who were unable to breathe due to severe lung damage and were connected to a ventilator dropped from 40 percent to 28 percent, and for patients who received supplemental oxygen, it dropped from 25 percent to 20 percent.

The condition of patients who were not in critical condition has not changed.

In other words, this drug is most beneficial for patients who are in critical condition and can save one out of every eight patients from death.

Researchers have also concluded that the destruction of the immune system due to the rapid spread of the virus and damage to internal organs plays a decisive role in the final stage of COVID-19 disease.

Cheap and accessible

"This is the first drug that has been shown to increase the chances of survival for patients with Covid-19," says Peter Horby, one of the researchers.

Dexamethasone is an inexpensive drug that is commonly used to reduce inflammation and prevent infection. If further trials confirm its effects, it could be widely used in poor countries.

Nick Comeck, an expert at the Wellcome Trust, who was one of the sponsors of the Oxford University research, spoke of a "remarkable success", and the British Department of Health immediately added dexamethasone to the list of standard drugs to combat Covid-19.

Source: DW