WHO Welcomes The Use Of Dexamethasone In Treating Critically COVID-19 Patients

The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the initial clinical test results from the uk (UK) that show dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, are often lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with COVID-19. For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to scale back mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, consistent with preliminary findings shared with WHO.

The benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19, and wasn't observed in patients with milder disease.

“This is that the first treatment to be shown to scale back mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is great news and that i congratulate the govt of the united kingdom , the University of Oxford, and therefore the many hospitals and patients within the UK who have contributed to the present lifesaving scientific breakthrough.”

Dexamethasone may be a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to scale back inflammation during a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers. it's been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations, and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.

The researchers shared initial insights about the results of the trial with WHO, and that we are looking forward to the complete data analysis within the coming days. WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to extend our overall understanding of this intervention. WHO clinical guidance are going to be updated to reflect how and when the drug should be utilized in COVID-19.

Today’s news builds off the WHO Research & Development Blueprint meeting, which happened in Geneva in mid-February to accelerate health technologies for COVID-19, where further research into the utilization of steroids was highlighted as a priority. The findings reinforce the importance of huge randomized control trials that produce actionable evidence. WHO will still work along side all partners to further develop lifesaving therapeutics and vaccines to tackle COVID-19 including under the umbrella of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.