COVID-19: Oxford University researchers announce major life-saving drug breakthrough

After months of studies and clinical trials, healthcare experts appear to have made a remarkable breakthrough in COVID-19 treatment. While a vaccine is yet to be confirmed, medical professionals highlight the importance of a drug that can help those that have already been infected. While 19 out of 20 patients eventually recover without hospitalisation, others, unfortunately, develop life-threatening complications. As such, a British team of experts hailed dexamethasone (low-dose) as game-changing medication that can save lives in the battle against the 2019 novel coronavirus.

According to the University of Oxford, the aforementioned drug is one of the many including lopinavir-ritonavir, azithromycin, tocilizumab, hydroxychloroquine, and convalescent plasma (from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19) considered as a potential candidate in a series of national clinical trials. Among the others listed, dexamethasone has been proven to cut the risk of death among patients who are on supplemental oxygen and on ventilators.

Researchers from the university noted that if dexamethasone was identified as effective against COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, it could have saved approximately 5,000 lives or more. Moreover, given that it is highly affordable and widely available, it might be advantageous in countries that cannot afford the high cost of other alternatives. It is already being used to treat a wide range of ailments and is deemed generally safe with proper medical supervision.

Since it primarily works to control inflammation, studies claim that it would be beneficial to address a deadly complication from COVID-19 called a cytokine storm. This is apparently when the body's immune response goes overboard when it reacts to the increasing viral load from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial saw a comparison between 4,000 patients who did not receive the drug, against 2,000 who were given doses of it.

Based on their observations, it was able to reduce the risk of death for people who were on supplemental oxygen from 25 percent to 20 percent. Meanwhile, for those already on ventilators, it dropped from 40 percent to 28 percent. "This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality - and it reduces it significantly. It's a major breakthrough," said chief investigator professor Peter Horby.

Ultimately, "there is a clear, clear benefit. 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," stated professor Martin Landray, one of the lead researchers.