Dexamethasone first drug to improve survival in COVID-19

The cheap generic steroid dexamethasone reduces death by up to one third in hospitalized patients with severe respiratory complications of COVID-19, according to a University of Oxford study.

In March 2020, the RECOVERY study was established as a randomized clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19, including low-dose dexamethasone. In excess of 11,500 patients have been enrolled from more than 175 hospitals in the UK.

A total of 2,104 patients were randomized to receive dexamethasone 6mg once per day, either by mouth or by intravenous injection, for 10 days and were compared with 4,321 patients randomized to usual care alone.