Wonder drug that cuts risk of Covid death by a third in sickest patients for £5
A COMMON drug that costs just £5 and can slash the risk of dying from coronavirus by a third is now available on the NHS.
Medics behind the RECOVERY trial - the largest globally testing potential Covid therapies - claim their results are "jaw-dropping". "I am proud they have led the first robust clinical trial anywhere in the world to find a coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death."This drug, dexamethasone, can now be made available across the NHS."While the chances of dying from Covid-19 have been greatly reduced by this treatment, they’re still far too high, so we must redouble our research efforts - and we certainly will.
“I was quite worried, as I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, and had bowel cancer 15 years ago, so I was high risk.“The treatment saved my life. I can’t say for certain, but my breathing was getting worse and then I turned the corner."“I am feeling absolutely wonderful now. I have bounced back and am full of energy.“I didn’t think twice about taking part in the trial and said yes straight away.“I am glad I did it. I feel incredibly lucky I was given dexamethasone.
He said the majority of patients being treated in hospital for coronavirus were likely to benefit from the study into dexamethosone, after conducting a trial comparing 2,000 people being treated with the drug and 4,000 without.Mr Herring has underlying health conditions including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which are known to be high risk factors for Covid patients
"This is the only drug that has so far shown to reduce mortality, and it reduces it significantly. It is a major breakthrough, I think," he said.He said an alert had gone out to all NHS trusts to give suitable Covid patients the drug with immediate effect. "This astounding breakthrough is testament to the incredible work being done by scientists behind the scenes.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director added: “This is a huge breakthrough in our search for new ways to successfully treat patients with covid, both in the UK and across the world.
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