London: Doctors and researchers said here Tuesday that a major breakthrough has been achieved in search for the coronavirus vaccine. They said giving low doses of the generic steroid drug ‘dexamethasone’ has been successful in treatment of severe COVID-19 hit patients. The drug has reduced death rates by around a third among those with the most severe cases of infection, trial data showed Tuesday.
The results, described as a ‘major breakthrough’ by scientists leading the UK-led clinical trial known as ‘RECOVERY’. They suggested the drug should immediately become standard care in patients treated in hospital with the pandemic disease.
“This is a 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. It will do so at a remarkably low cost,” said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor who is co-leading the trial.
Landray’s co-lead investigator, Peter Horby had the same opinion to offer. Dexamethasone is a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation, he said. It is ‘the only drug that’s so far shown to reduce mortality – and it reduces it significantly’. “It is definitely a major breakthrough,” said Horby.
There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19. The illness caused by the new coronavirus has killed more than 4,31,000 globally.
The researchers, however did not disclose the exact number of patients treated with ‘dexamethasone’. However, they said that all those treated with the drug have recovered. Hence the chances of ‘dexamethasone’ being recommended more often is growing with time.
In the trial, a total of 2,104 patients were randomised to receive dexamethasone six milligrammes once per day. It was administered either by mouth or by intravenous injection for 10 ten days. They were compared with 4,321 patients randomised to usual care alone.
Among the patients who received usual care alone, mortality was highest in those who required ventilation (41 per cent). It was intermediate in those patients who required oxygen only (25 per cent), and lowest among those who did not require any respiratory intervention (13%), the scientists said.
They found that dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in ventilated patients, and by one fifth in other patients receiving oxygen only. However, the researchers said there was no benefit from dexamethasone among the patients who did not require respiratory support.
Based on these results, the scientists believe that the drug could prevent nearly one death in the treatment of around eight ventilated patients, or around 25 patients requiring oxygen alone.
“Dexamethasone is the first drug to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19. This is an extremely welcome result,” said Horby. 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 added.
The drug, according to the scientists, is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.
