Steroid might be lifesaver for sickest COVID-19 patients
Dexamethasone is the first treatment shown to impact coronavirus mortality, researchers announce
The steroid dexamethasone has become the first treatment to reduce the risk of death in severely ill patients with COVID-19, according to researchers who have conducted a landmark trial in the UK.
Preliminary results from the study, which were announced overnight before publication in a peer-reviewed journal, suggest the widely-used generic corticosteroid can cut deaths in the sickest patients — those requiring a ventilator — by more than one third.
