Dexamethasone Hailed as First Major Breakthrough in COVID-19 Treatments The low-dose steroid treatment cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators and by a fifth for those on oxygen.
The drug is part of the world’s biggest trial that tests existing treatments and is widely available as well as affordable.
Researchers say that if the drug had been used to treat the virus from the onset of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved in the U.K. Dexamethasone is already used to help with inflammation for other conditions and seems to aid the immune system as it fights off the coronavirus.
The drug does not appear to help patients with milder symptoms of COVID-19.
