Jun 17, 2020 20:00:00

Inexpensive anti-inflammatory drugs may dramatically reduce mortality in critically ill patients with novel coronavirus

Researchers around the world are testing different drugs to establish a cure for the new coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19), which is rampant throughout the world. Meanwhile, in a large-scale clinical trial conducted by a research team at Oxford University in the United Kingdom,

dexamethasone , a cheap and widely used steroidal anti-inflammatory drug , is the mortality rate of severely ill patients with COVID-19 Has been found to be able to significantly reduce.

Low-cost dexamethasone reduces death by up to one third in hospitalised patients with severe respiratory complications of COVID-19 | University of Oxford
http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-06-16-low-cost-dexamethasone-reduces-death-one-third-hospitalised-patients-severe

Cheap steroid reduces death in severe COVID-19, researchers say. But they haven't released the data. | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/dexamethasone-covid19-trial-early-results.html

Steroid found to help prevent deaths of sickest coronavirus patients | World news | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/16/steroid-found-to-help-prevent-deaths-of-sickest-coronavirus-patients

From March to June 2020, the research team will conduct randomized controlled trials to test potential treatments for COVID-19 in patients treated at more than 175 hospitals in the United Kingdom. did. One of the drugs tested in this trial was dexamethasone, for a total of 2104 patients given 6 mg dexamethasone per day orally or intravenously for 10 days and received only usual treatment It was compared to 4321 patients.

At 28 days after the start of treatment, the mortality rate of patients who received normal treatment was 41% for those who needed to be equipped with a

ventilator accompanied by tracheal intubation, and a mask was required to supply oxygen. It was 25% in patients and 13% in patients with fully functioning lungs. In contrast, patients receiving dexamethasone had a 35% reduction in mortality in ventilated patients and a 20% reduction in mortality without oxygen. Mortality in patients who did not require ventilator or oxygen supply was unchanged with dexamethasone.

'Dexamethasone is the first drug shown to improve survival of COVID-19. This is the first drug that has been shown to improve survival for COVID-19,' said Peter Hovey, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at Oxford University and lead investigator in clinical trials. This is a very welcome result.The survival benefit for patients in need of oxygen therapy is clear and significant, and dexamethasone should now be the standard of care for these patients.Dexamethasone is cheap and readily available. , Can be used immediately to save lives all over the world.'

In addition, co-head of research, Professor Martin Landley , says that severely ill patients with COVID-19 can start treatment immediately with dexamethasone anywhere in the world. “This is not a coincidence, it's a completely compelling result.” “It's globally available and inexpensive, which is very important,” commented Randley.

Dexamethasone is an anti-inflammatory drug that works together to suppress inflammatory and immune reactions, and is used for many diseases such as rheumatism, asthma, severe allergic reactions, and altitude sickness. Dexamethasone, which has been in development for nearly 60 years, is very cheap, costing just £5 when treated at the UK's National Health Service (NHS) , and in emerging economies such as India. You can get dexamethasone for less than $1 (about 110 yen).

The mechanism behind why dexamethasone is so effective in critically ill patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. However, the action of dexamethasone, which suppresses the inflammatory reaction in the body, suppresses the cytokine storm , which is an excessive immune reaction that occurs when COVID-19 becomes severe, and it is harmful to not only the virus but also body tissues It has been pointed out that it may prevent the overflow of sex cytokines .

The British government has announced that it will immediately approve dexamethasone as a treatment for COVID-19. Health Minister Matt Hancock said, 'This wonderful breakthrough is a testament to the amazing work that our scientists have done behind the scenes,' arguing that the use of dexamethasone will save many lives. . Prime Minister Boris Johnson also praised the results of the study, saying he has taken steps to ensure he has sufficient dexamethasone in the coming COVID-19 peak.

However, since detailed data and papers on the research were not published at the time of writing the article, it is said that it is too early to be pleased before the officially reviewed papers and data are published.