a big medical breakthrough in the fight
against corona virus has identified a
drug that could have saved thousands of
lives
had it been used from an early stage in
the pandemic the research led by a team
of scientists at Oxford University shows
the dexamethasone are familiar steroid
that's been in use for 60 years can be
remarkably effective the findings are
based on trials involving some 6,000
patients across the UK the drug cuts the
risk of death by 1/3 for patients on
ventilators and by 1/5 for those
requiring oxygen our medical
correspondent Fergus Walsh has the story
for those laid low by kovat 19 for the
very sickest hospital patients at last a
drug that can tip the odds in their
favor 6000 NHS Co bid patients were part
of the trial and the results were so
overwhelmingly positive they were rushed
out days after the study was completed
it found that dexamethasone saves one
life for every eight patients on a
ventilator and one life saved for every
25 patients on oxygen if it had been
used from the outset of the pandemic
it's thought it could have saved four to
five thousand lives in the UK Katherine
Milbank from Buckinghamshire spent 12
days on a ventilator with kovat 19 she
received dexamethasone after her husband
Paul gave consent over the phone for her
to take part in the trial when someone
tells you that your wife's right hanging
on the edge of something that could go
either way and you know that there's
current proven drugs that are already in
the you know in the medical industry
already that are prescribed to people
when you know that they are around and
there's a chance that might help you
grab it without trying these things
we're not the researchers us no one's
gonna get any wound finding out that the
right drugs to help the pen depict this
happening and still going on this we're
coming through it but I'm just totally
grateful and will be the rest of my life
dexamethasone has been around for
decades a steroid it's widely used for
arthritis asthma and other conditions
this is a genuine breakthrough in the
treatment of kovat 19:00 dexamethasone
either in tablet or injectable form is
available in every hospital pharmacy the
treatment costs around five pounds on
the NHS and will be even cheaper in
developing countries so this drug has
the potential to save lives across the
world
we've been on a huge search for
treatments that actually will improve
survival for patients with Kovich this
is the first drug not only is this the
first drug that's improved survival but
it's available worldwide immediately and
is affordable that's fantastic news for
patients the DRI helped stop the immune
system from overreacting to kovat it's
not a cure but it will help more of the
sickest patients to overcome this
disease Fergus washed BBC news well the
latest figures from the Department of
Health's show that in the past 24 hour
period 233 more deaths linked to
coronavirus were recorded and that
brings the total at just under forty two
thousand across the UK and that includes
hospitals and care homes and the wider
community the graph of Kovach 19 deaths
since the mid Lamar chose that downward
trend
with the current seven-day average at a
hundred and fifty five so let's talk to
our medical correspondent Fergus waters
report we saw there on the this new
treatment well I say new treatment it's
a familiar drugs isn't it I'm just
wondering given how familiar doctors are
with it what is its potential now I
think this is really significant you and
really wonderful news this drug can't
the risk of death in the sickest
patients on ventilators by a third
that's massive now it needed a huge
trial 6000 coronavirus hospital patients
for those benefits to emerge and that
all happened here in the UK a hundred
and seventy-five hospitals were involved
and it's one of the strengths of having
a cohesive national health service
it's frankly a bit of a surprise that
the first drug proven to save lives with
Kovac 19 is not some shiny high-tech
experimental treatment that would cost
thousands and only be available in rich
countries
it's an old cheapest chips steroid
that's used all over the world some
caveats doesn't stop people getting
coronavirus it doesn't help early on in
the disease it's only for the sicker
patients but Wow for them it is progress
and from now on every hospital patient
with coronavirus on oxygen or on a
ventilator will be offered dexamethasone
so for them and their families that
offers real hope focused many thanks
once again folks Worcester our medical
correspondent