According to a drug trial conducted by the University of Oxford in the UK, Dexamethasone, a widely available mild steroid can reduce novel coronavirus-related deaths by up to 30 percent. The UK has now approved steroids for immediate use by the National Health Services (NHS) and has now banned the exports of the same.

"Congratulating the fantastic team of scientists right here in Britain who conducted the first robust clinical trial anywhere in the world," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "We have turned the tide, but have not yet beaten it." "

Professor Martin Landre was the lead researcher of the trial in which the drug was administered to 2,000 hospital patients. Professor Landre said that one in every eight patients who were on ventilators could be saved, while one in every 25 patients on oxygen received positive signs of recovery after the use of dexamethasone.

Not full treatment!

Lead doctor of the neonatal intensive care unit at Oxford University Hospital, Dr. Amit Gupta, accepting the drug for a major breakthrough in the treatment of critically ill Covid-19 patients, said, "It is important to note that dexamethasone has no benefit if the patient does not require oxygen and this group should not use it. "

This is an important distinction to understand because dexamethasone is widely used to reduce inflammation and is therefore useful in treating conditions such as rheumatism, gut inflammation (ulcerative colitis) and allergies.

But steroids also have side effects.

"Side effects include increased blood sugar (worsening diabetes), weight gain and delayed wound healing," says Amit Gupta. Dr. Gupta states, "It can also be used in preterm infants who depend on ventilator support. Betamethasone, a sister drug, is usually given to pregnant women, who go into preterm labor to help the fetus's lungs mature. "

How does dexamethasone work?

When any virus causes infection in humans, the body's immune system fights to fight it. Sometimes, the immune system moves its own cells into an overdrive causing heavy damage to the tissue, the medical term for this being 'cytokine storm'.

Something similar happens when the novel coronavirus infects the body. It first infects body tissues and usually causes lung infections (pneumonia), after which the immune system goes into overdrive. Deaths caused by Covid-19 have been attributed to both of these processes.

Dexamethasone can work on both mechanisms but mainly later when the body goes into a 'cytokine storm' phase.

How is dexamethasone administered?

For patients on ventilator support, dexamethasone is given intravenously, while patients who are not seriously ill may be taken as tablets.

Nick Kemack, Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator at Lead Welcome, a global health foundation involved with MasterCard and the Melinda Gates Foundation in search of an effective treatment for infection, said, "Dexamethasone must now be rolled out and thousands of severely affected should use it worldwide. It is extremely inexpensive, easy to make, can be quickly grown and requires only a small dose. Any and every successful treatment against Covid-19 should be made available to everyone, regardless of who needs it globally or ability to pay."

UK ban on the export of dexamethasone

The NHS has access to 200,000 courses of medicine in its reserves but its exports to the world are banned. In April of this year, exports of the drug in tablets and capsules were banned and the liquid form was banned from 16 June.

When asked about the export ban, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "it seems strange to me" and assured media outlets that he would "pay attention to it" but the UK Health Department later confirmed that the export ban is now in force.

PM Johnson's medical team came to his rescue during the briefing and said that dexamethasone is a widely available drug that does not require complex manufacturing and is cheaper to obtain; medics around the world have already put it in their cupboards. He further stated that steroids can be put to immediate use.

Dexamethasone discovery time

At the moment, the UK is seeing a drop in coronavirus-related deaths, but with the drug already found, 5,000 lives could be saved, experts suggest.

However, time may prove suitable for countries where infection cases are increasing.

Dr. Amit Gupta said, "The epidemic has slowed in Europe and America, but the numbers are increasing in Latin America and South Asia. The study has come to a critical juncture for these countries, as they battle with hospital admissions with limited resources, ”said Dr. Amit Gupta.

Source; NHS website