Researchers from Oxford University, United Kingdom have achieved a breakthrough in finding a drug to cure COVID-19.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the researchers noted that dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available drug, could help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus.
The researchers said the drug was part of the world’s biggest trial testing of existing treatments to see if they also worked for coronavirus.
It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth. Had the drug been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved.
“The drug is already used to reduce inflammation in a range of other conditions, including arthritis, asthma and some skin conditions. And it appears to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight off coronavirus,” the researchers said.
The UK Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said the new standard treatment would save thousands of lives.
He said, “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
