'Major breakthrough': Dexamethasone found to save 1 of 3 severe COVID patients

London, June 16: The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone can reduce COVID-19 deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalised patients, UK scientists have claimed. It's the first evidence that a drug can improve survival.

The drug is part of the world's biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus.

The results, described as a "major breakthrough" by scientists leading the UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY, was announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon.

In the trial, a total of 2,104 patients were randomised to receive dexamethasone six milligrammes once per day -- either by mouth or by intravenous injection -- for ten days, and 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), intermediate in those patients who required oxygen only (25 per cent), and lowest among those who did not require any respiratory intervention (13 per cent), 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 Peter Horby, one of the chief investigators of the trial from the University of Oxford in the UK.

"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," Horby said.

The drug, according to the scientists, is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.

"These preliminary results from the RECOVERY trial are very clear --dexamethasone reduces the risk of death among patients with severe respiratory complications," said Martin Landray, another chief investigator of the trial from the University of Oxford.

"COVID-19 is a global disease - it is fantastic that the first treatment demonstrated to reduce mortality is one that is instantly available and affordable worldwide," Landray added.

There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus which has killed more than 4,31,000 globally.