The UK government has approved the use of a ground-breaking drug that has been shown to minimise the risk of death by up to one third in patients with serious respiratory complications suffering from coronavirus.
From today – Dexamethasone – a cheap anti-inflammatory drug, has been immediately approved to treat all patients who are hospitalised in the UK who require oxygen including those on ventilators.
The move comes just hours after researchers at the University of Oxford announced the drug was displaying the potential to reduce Covid-19’s mortality rate.
In a study funded by the government, via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a randomised group of 2,104 patients were given 6mg of dexamethasone per day for 10 days, while another group of 4,321 were given normal treatment.
Preliminary results showed that dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-fifth in patients on oxygen feeds, and by one-third in those who needed a ventilator to breathe.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the NHS approval for the drug: “I’m absolutely delighted that today we can announce the world’s first successful clinical trial for a treatment for Covid-19. This astounding breakthrough is testament to the incredible work being done by our scientists behind the scenes.
“From today the standard treatment for Covid-19 will include dexamethasone, helping save thousands of lives while we deal with this terrible virus.
“Guided by the science, the UK is leading the way in the global fight against coronavirus – with the best clinical trials, the best vaccine development and the best immunology research in the world.”
The government has stockpiled 200,000 courses of dexamethasone since March, and placed oral and injection solutions on a list of medicines banned for export from the UK at midnight on Tuesday.