Coronavirus life-saving drug dexamethasone approved for use in UK

An anti-inflammatory drug, already available in pharmacies across the UK, can save the lives of hospitalised COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen and has been approved for use in the NHS.

The drug dexamethasone has become the world’s first coronavirus treatment that is proven to reduce the risk of death in COVID-19 hospitalised patients including those on ventilators.

The government says the drug, which was part of a government-funded Oxford University trial, has been proven to reduce the risk of death significantly in COVID-19 patients on ventilators by as much as 35 per cent.

The drug also reduces the risk of death for patients on oxygen by 20 per cent - reducing the 28-day mortality rate by 17 per cent.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This astounding breakthrough is testament to the incredible work being done by our scientists behind the scenes. “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. “I want to thank the brilliant scientists at Oxford University, the thousands of patients who took part in the study, and my own team, led by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who has done such a brilliant job driving this work."

The drug can be given intravenously in intensive care and in tablet form for less seriously ill patients. The treatment is up to 10 days of dexamethasone and costs £5 per patient.

People advised not to buy drug to use at home

Dexamethasone does not seem to help people with milder symptoms of coronavirus who do not need help with their breathing. Scientists advise against people buy the drug to take at home.

Before making its announcement, the government secured supplies of dexamethasone in the UK, by buying additional stocks ahead of time in the event of a positive trial outcome.

As a result, the government says it has enough treatment for over 200,000 people from stockpiles alone. The drug has been added to the government’s parallel export list, which bans companies from buying medicines meant for UK patients and selling them on for a higher price in another country.

The government gave £2.1 million for the clinical trial - with over 177,000 patients enrolled, it is the largest randomised clinical trial anywhere in the world and will continue to trial other medicines, such as azithromycin and lopinavir-ritonavir.

The Recovery trial reported the findings of 2,104 patients randomised to dexamethasone, in comparison with 4,321 patients randomised allocated to usual standard of care alone. The trial has reported at a dose of 6 mg dexamethasone once a day for up to 10 days or discharge if sooner. No benefit is seen for patients hospitalised and not on oxygen.

Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said: “The recovery trial is an outstanding example of the UK leading the world with an impressive study capable of delivering robust answers to critical questions. Although these data have not yet been peer-reviewed.

“The positive findings on dexamethasone follow the disappointing findings on hydroxychloroquine. Together these two results illustrate the power of properly conducted clinical trials and the inherent danger of assuming things work without robust data.

“Whilst tempting to do otherwise, it is always better to wait for the evidence. On the dexamethasone findings, this is very encouraging because the signal on reduced mortality applies to many of the patients admitted to hospitals and the drug is comparatively low priced and available worldwide.”