Thank you very much Rini for the information Sent from my iPhone2536771592
> On Jun 16, 2020, at 4:28 PM, Rini Kakati [email protected] > [FriendsofAssamNE] <[email protected]> wrote: > > Coronavirus: Dexamethasone proves first life-saving drug > > By Michelle Roberts > > Health editor, BBC News online > > A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients > seriously ill with coronavirus. > > The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the > fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say. > > The drug is part of the world's biggest trial testing existing treatments to > see if they also work 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 had been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the > pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved, researchers say. > > And it could be of huge benefit in poorer countries with high numbers of > Covid-19 patients. > > The UK government has 200,000 courses of the drug in its stockpile and says > the NHS will make dexamethasone available to patients. > > Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was a genuine case to celebrate "a > remarkable British scientific achievement", adding: "We have taken steps to > ensure we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak." > > Chief Medical Officer for England Prof Chris Whitty said it would save lives > around the world. > > Latest coronavirus updates > > About 19 out of 20 patients with coronavirus recover without being admitted > to hospital. > > Of those who are admitted, most also recover but some may need oxygen or > mechanical ventilation. > And these are the high-risk patients dexamethasone appears to help. > > The drug is already used to reduce inflammation in a range of other > conditions, including arthritis, asthma and skin some 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. > > This over-reaction, a cytokine storm, can be deadly. > > In the trial, led by a team from Oxford University, about 2,000 hospital > patients were given dexamethasone and compared with more than 4,000 who were > not. > > For patients on ventilators, it cut the risk of death from 40% to 28%. > > For patients needing oxygen, it cut the risk of death from 25% to 20%. > > Chief investigator Prof Peter Horby said: "This is the only drug so far that > has been shown to reduce mortality - and it reduces it significantly. It's a > major breakthrough." > > Lead researcher Prof Martin Landray said the findings suggested one life > could be saved for: > > every eight patients on a ventilator > > every 20-25 treated with oxygen > > "There is a clear, clear benefit," he said. > > "The treatment is up to 10 days of dexamethasone and it costs about £5 per > patient. > > "So essentially it costs £35 to save a life. > > "This is a drug that is globally available." > > When appropriate, hospital patients should now be given it without delay, > Prof Landray said. > But people should not go out and buy it to take at home. > > Dexamethasone does not appear to help people with milder symptoms of > coronavirus who do not need help with their breathing. > > The Recovery Trial, running since March, also looked at the malaria drug > hydroxychloroquine, which has subsequently been ditched amid concerns it > increases fatalities and heart problems. > > The antiviral drug remdesivir, meanwhile, which appears to shorten recovery > time for people with coronavirus, is already being made available on the NHS. > > > https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53061281 > > Rini Kakati > > __ > >
