The most commonly available anti-inflammatory drugs are found to have a 20 percent reduction in mortality in the most severe COVID-19 patients, researchers said Thursday.
Professor Anthony Gordon of Imperial College London was part of a British team investigating the effectiveness of hydrocortisone on people on intensive care ventilators.
The results of the UK study were compared with six others from around the world, who also looked at whether the same corticosteroid drugs could be used in treatment.
“Of the seven trials reported, among patients who were not treated with steroids, about 40 percent died from this severe covid-19,” Gordon told AFP.
“Among the groups given different steroids, about 32 percent died, so the risk is reduced by 20 percent …
“It means that if you treat 100 patients with steroids, you would expect to save eight lives, which is really impressive to see such a result.”
Simon Stevens, head of Britain’s state-run National Health Service in England, called it “the next weapon in the arsenal in the global fight against Covid-19”.
He added, “As we did with dexamethasone, the NHS will now take immediate action to ensure that patients can benefit from treatment with hydrocortisone,” he added.
Combining the research with his work as a hospital intensive care specialist, Gordon said the results were “clear evidence” that steroids help very critically ill patients.
But he insisted that steroids, which are often found in excess of over-the-counter medications, should not be used to prevent covid-19 or as a home remedy for viral infections.
He said about 303 patients from 88 hospitals in the UK had received hydrocortisone by intravenous drip in pill form.
The same efficacy of different corticosteroids, which may help treat the disease worldwide, will reduce pressure on the supply chain, he added.
“Clinicians may be more familiar with using one or more of these drugs … The good news is that this choice, having a larger supply of the drug.”
The results of a UK dexamethasone trial were published in July, showing that the mortality rate of COVD-19 patients has been reduced by just under a third.
Among patients on the ventilator, the mortality rate for anti-inflammatory drug patients was 29.3 percent, compared to 411.4 percent.
Gorden said recent results were “consistent” and “encouraging”, but coronavirus still needed further treatment.
ન્સી Agency France-Press
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