A low-cost, widely available drug called dexamethasone is being hailed as a promising new treatment for critically ill patients with COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know about the drug and how it could be used to treat the disease.
TORONTO -- A low-cost, widely available drug called dexamethasone is being hailed as a promising new treatment for COVID-19 after preliminary clinical trial results out of the U.K. showed it could reduce deaths by up to one third in critically ill patients.
Without an available vaccine for COVID-19, dexamethasone is being embraced by government and health officials around the world as a hopeful alternative to save lives thanks to these initial findings. In an earlier statement, Ghebreyesus congratulated the U.K. government, the University of Oxford, and the participating hospitals and patients who contributed to “this life-saving scientific breakthrough.”
Dexamethasone is a commonly used corticosteroid used to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders, immune system problems, and certain types of cancers.
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