A cheap steroid dramatically reduced coronavirus deaths in a 'major breakthrough' trial

According to a major clinical trial in the UK, the drug reduced deaths by one-third for patients on ventilators, and by about 20% for those who got supplemental oxygen.
"This is a huge breakthrough," NHS medical director Stephen Powis said in a statement.
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A UK clinical trial shows that a cheap and widely available steroid can significantly cut deaths among coronavirus patients.

Giving the steroid dexamethasone reduces deaths by one-third for critically ill coronavirus patients who are on ventilators, the researchers found . It cut deaths by 20% among patients with COVID-19 who are getting extra oxygen.

"Dexamethasone is the first drug to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19," Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, and one of the chief investigators for the trial, said in a statement . "This is an extremely welcome result."

The researchers said that the steroid should be used widely to treat coronavirus patients, based on the results of the study.

In March 2020, the Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy, or RECOVERY, trial began. Its goal was to test a variety of possible coronavirus treatments. 11,500 patients enrolled. As part of the trial 2,104 patients were randomly assigned to get six milligrams of dexamethasone once a day for ten days. The results of their treatments was compared to 4,321 patients who did not receive dexamethasone.

Researchers found that dexamethasone improved survival among patients on ventilators and patients who needed oxygen. For patients who didn't need help breathing, the steroid offered no benefit.

"This is a huge breakthrough in our search for new ways to successfully treat patients with COVID, both in the UK and across the world," NHS Medical Director Stephen Powis said in a statement. "It is thanks to NHS staff and patients who participated in the trial that from now, we are able to use this drug to dramatically improve Covid-19 survival for people in hospital who require oxygen or ventilation."

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