Although the vaccine cavalry is finally coming over the hill, the need for better drugs to treat those with COVID-19 remains.

Many drugs are being tested in patients at different stages of the disease, but with a few notable exceptions, results so far have been disappointing.

In patients with severe COVID-19, runaway inflammation is a big contributor to the tissue damage we see with this disease.

Indeed, the steroid drug dexamethasone, one of a handful shown to have an impact on the disease, works by dampening inflammation.