World’s First Life-Saving Covid Drug

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The cheap and widely-used steroid called Dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among Covid-19 patients in what scientists said is a “major breakthrough” in the coronavirus pandemic.
The observations were part of the world’s biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus.

the trial

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.

It’s a drug that relieves inflammation in various parts of the body.
It is used specifically to decrease swelling (edema), associated with tumors of the spine and brain, and to treat eye

It could be of huge benefit in developing countries with high numbers of Covid-19 patients too.
In India, the drug which is used to fight life-threatening sepsis and severe infections, has annual sales of Rs 100 crore.
Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila is its largest manufacturer.
“There are enough supplies in India. It’s been used for over four decades in several indications, and is very affordable,” Zydus group chairman Pankaj Patel.
Its price is regulated under the Drug Price Control Order, and is around Rs 5-6 per injection.
It is also produced by small scale manufacturers.
The treatment for high-risk Covid-19 patients is up to 10 days.
The drug is given intravenously in intensive care and in tablet form for less seriously ill patients.
However, lead researcher Martin Landray warned that people should not go out and buy it to take at home.
(Also, dexamethasone does not appear to help people with milder Covid-19 symptoms who do not need help with their breathing.)

So far, the only other drug proven to benefit Covid patients is remdesivir, which has been used for Ebola.
That has been shown to reduce the duration of coronavirus symptoms from 15 days to 11.
But the evidence was not strong enough to show whether it reduced mortality.
Unlike dexamethasone, remdesivir is a new drug with limited supplies and a price has yet to be announced.