Coronavirus, Gb discovery: dexamethasone drug reduces mortality by 35%
WHO: life-saving breakthrough. The study shows that the steroid saved the lives of a third of the most severe cases. Horby: “An extremely positive result”. Landray: “It costs around 6 euros, less than 40 euros are spent on average to save a life” Video How the steroid works that reduces cases of mortality
London, June 16, 2020 – A cheap steroid, around 6 euros, and easily available could be the first anti-Covid therapy capable of saving the lives of patients severely affected by the Coronavirus. This is what emerges from the study by the University of Oxford (Great Britain).
According to the researchers, the new drug, the anti-inflammatory steroid dexamethasone, is “an important step forward” and gives hope for the survival of thousands of the most seriously ill. After a study showed that the steroid saved the lives of a third of the most serious cases, the Minister of Health, Mart Hancock, announces that it will soon be given to coronavirus patients in England.
“This drug – recalls the ‘BBC’ – is part of the largest study in the world that is testing existing treatments, which could have an efficacy against Covid-19. The researchers estimated that, if the drug had been available in the United United since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, up to 5 thousand patients could have been saved.
I study
Mart Hancock, the British health minister, said Britain began stockpiling the widely available drug when its potential became apparent three months ago. “Since we have identified the first signs of the potential of dexamethasone – said Hancock -, we have accumulated it since March”.
The researchers, led by a team from the University of Oxford, administered dexamethasone to more than 2,000 seriously ill Covid-19 patients. These are compared with over 4,000 who did not receive the drug: among those on ventilation, dexamethasone reduced the risk of death from 40% to 28%, while in patients treated with oxygen it was able to save 1 life every About 20-25 people treated with the medicine.
According to Peter Horby, professor of infectious diseases leading the Oxford team, “Dexamethasone is the first drug to be shown to improve survival with Covid-19. This is an extremely positive result.” And he added: “Dexamethasone – he added him – is cheap, available and can be used immediately to save lives around the world.”
The treatment “lasts up to 10 days, the drug costs about 6 euros, in total less than 40 euros are spent on average to save a life”, said Martin Landray, a researcher at the University of Oxford. However, dexamethasone doesn’t seem to help people with Covid-19 with milder symptoms and who don’t need help with breathing.WHO: life-saving breakthrough
The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes Covid-19 therapy using dexamethasone: “This is great news and I congratulate the UK government, the University of Oxford and the many hospitals and patients who in GB have contributed to this life-saving scientific breakthrough, “said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.