Generic steroid reduces deaths by one-third among patients with severe covid-19, study says

A steroid used to lower inflammation for other illnesses has been linked to decreasing mortality rates in severe cases of coronavirus, a new clinical trial has found.

Low doses of dexamethasone decreased death rates by nearly a third in hospitalized patients with serious respiratory complications from covid-19, according scientists involved in the clinical trial in the United Kingdom.

The drug is the first to improve survival for covid-19 afflicted patients, said Peter Horby, one of the chief investigators for the trial.

“The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients,” he said in a statement. “Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.”

A total of 2,104 patients were randomly selected to receive six milligrams of dexamethasone once a day for 10 days. That group was compared to 4,321 randomized patients who were receiving only “usual care” for covid-19.

Patients who only received “usual care” and required ventilation care had a high 28-day mortality risk, and those who needed oxygen had an “intermediate” mortality risk.

Dexamethasone lowered death rates by one-third in ventilated patients and one-fifth in other patients receiving oxygen, scientists found.

The findings indicate that dexamethasone could prevent one death of around eight ventilated patients or about 25 oxygen-requiring cases.

Nick Cammack, covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator Lead at Wellcome, called the results a “breakthrough” in a statement and said dexamethasone should be used around the world for critically ill patients.

“This is extremely promising news and a significant step forward, but we still have a long way to go,” he said. “To end this pandemic, we still need better diagnostics to detect, medicines to treat and vaccines to prevent covid-19.”

By Lateshia Beachum

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