Scientific experts in the United Kingdom have unveiled a cheap and widely available drug, dexamethasone, which has proved effective in treating patients with when applied in small dozage.
The drug is part of the world’s biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus.
Experiment showed it can save patients on ventilators and those on oxygen.
It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth.
Had the drug had been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved, researchers say.
According to BBC report, In the trial, led by a team from Oxford University, about 2,000 hospital patients were given dexamethasone and compared with more than 4,000 who were not.
For patients on ventilators, it cut the risk of death from 40 per cent to 28 per cent. For patients needing oxygen, it cut the risk of death from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.
Chief investigator Prof Peter Horby said: “This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality – and it reduces it significantly. It’s a major breakthrough.”
Lead researcher Prof Martin Landray said the findings suggested one life could be saved for: every eight patients on a ventilator, every 20-25 treated with oxygen
“There is a clear, clear benefit,” he said, adding, the treatment is up to 10 days of dexamethasone and it costs about £5 per patient. So essentially it costs £35 to save a life. “This is a drug that is globally available.”
