A steroid called dexamethasone was shown to be the first drug on Tuesday to significantly reduce the risk of death in serious Covid-19 cases.
Researchers say that among the most severely ill Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals it reduced death rates by roughly a third.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed trials of a steroid treatment praised for chronically ill patients with coronavirus as a ‘breakthrough.’
This is after test results announced on Tuesday, showed that a cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among Covid-19 patients, in what scientists have said is a “major breakthrough” in the ongoing pandemic.
The United Kingdom (UK) preliminary results, which have not been peer-reviewed, suggest the drug should become standard care immediately in patients with severe cases of the disease, the researchers who led the trials said.
Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s (also known as dexamed). It is commonly used in the diagnosis of illnesses such as arthritis to reduce inflammation. Researchers say that among the most severely ill Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals it reduced death rates by roughly a third. Since 1977, it has been listed in multiple formulations on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, and is currently off-patented and affordably available in most countries.
“Dexamethasone is an essential medicine listed in Kenya under the Kenya Essential Medicines List 2019 and has been used previously to manage various cases. It is also used for supportive management of Covid-19,” Director-General of Health Patrick Amoth said on his weekly Twitter chats.
Dexamethasone is an essential medicine listed in Kenya under the Kenya Essential Medicines List 2019 and has been used previously to manage various cases. It is also used for supportive management of COVID-19. #AskTheDG https://t.co/eGVJq9aXxc
— Dr. Patrick Amoth, EBS (@DrPatrickAmoth) June 17, 2020
The treatment has shown that mortality has been reduced by about one third for patients on ventilators, and mortality has been cut by about one fifth for patients requiring only oxygen, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO.
“This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with Covid-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
In the trial, the drug was found to reduce mortality rates by about a third among Covid-19’s most critically ill patients admitted to hospital. The researchers said they would work to publish as soon as possible the full details of the trial, with some scientists saying they wished to review the evidence for themselves. The gain was only seen in patients with Covid-19 who were severely ill, and was not seen in patients with milder illness.
Of the 548 active Covid-19 patients in the country, five are currently critically ill and admitted through various Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Dr Amoth said.
“This is a (trial) 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 co-leading the trial, known as the Recovery Trial.
The UK Department of Health wasted no time in acting on the results, saying the drug was approved for use in the state-run health service, export controls were imposed, and the UK stockpiled 200,000 treatment courses.
“It’s going to be very hard for any drug really to replace this, given that for less than 50 pounds (Sh6,700), you can treat eight patients and save a life,” Prof Landray said in an online briefing.
The clinical guidelines given by the WHO will be revised to reflect how and when to use the medication in Covid-19.
“The researchers shared initial insights about the results of the trial with WHO, and we are looking forward to the full data analysis in the coming days. WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention,” added Dr Tedros.
Thus far, no cure for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which killed more than 431,000 people worldwide, has been shown to minimize disease mortality, while Gilead Sciences Inc’s (GILD.O) remdesivir shortened hospital patient recovery time.