Dexamethasone reduces deaths among coronavirus patients

LONDON - Giving low doses of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to patients admitted to a hospital with COVID-19 reduced death rates by around a third among those with the most severe cases of infection, trial data showed on Tuesday. England's Chief Medical Officer has hailed a finding as the most important trial result so far, as scientists seek effective treatments for the new disease. 'This is the most important trial result for COVID-19 so far,' Chris Whitty said on Twitter about the findings of the UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY. 'Significant reduction in mortality in those requiring oxygen or ventilation from a widely available, safe and well known drug... It will save lives around the world.' The results, described as a 'major breakthrough' by scientists leading RECOVERY, suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in patients treated in hospital with the pandemic disease, the researchers said. 'This is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators or are on oxygen are given dexamethasone, it will save lives, and it will do so at a remarkably low cost,' said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor who is co-leading the trial. His co-lead investigator, Peter Horby, said dexamethasone - a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation - is 'the only drug that's so far shown to reduce mortality - and it reduces it significantly.' 'It is a major breakthrough,' he said. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus which has killed more than 431,000 globally.

Dexamethasone reduces deaths among coronavirus patients

England's Chief Medical Officer has hailed a finding as the most important trial result so far, as scientists seek effective treatments for the new disease.

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Dexamethasone reduces deaths among coronavirus patients

England's Chief Medical Officer has hailed a finding as the most important trial result so far, as scientists seek effective treatments for the new disease.

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