Dexamethasone is "the first drug to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19".
It is inexpensive and can be used immediately tosave lives worldwide.
What is its chemical nature?
Dexamethasone is a steroid drug.
Steroid tablets, also called corticosteroid tablets, are a type of antiinflammatory medicine used to treat a range of conditions.
How it works?
It is typically used to reduce inflammation.
They can be used to treat problems such as allergies, asthma, eczema, inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis.
Steroid drugs reduce inflammation, which sometimes develops in COVID-19 patients as the immune system overreacts to fight the infection.
This overreaction can prove fatal, so doctors have been testing steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs in such patients.
Overall dexamethasone reduced the 28-day mortality rate by 17% with a highly significant trend showing greatest benefit among those patients requiring ventilation.
What are the other drugs used?
Other methods of treatment in the ongoing trial includes the HIV drug LopinavirRitonavir, antibiotic Azithromycin, anti-inflammatory treatment Tocilizumab, and Convalescent plasma.
