Cheap steroids may be saving the lives of severely ill COVID-19 patients, according to new studies.
The findings — published in JAMA — found that eight lives could be saved for every 100 patients treated with the steroids.
- 40% died when given standard treatment.
- 32% died when given steroids.
Researchers said the findings are a good thing for treating the coronavirus. However, it does not represent a complete cure.
The findings confirmed that steroids dexamethasone and hydrocortisone both work in helping save lives from severe COVID-19 diagnosis, BBC News reports.
- “At the beginning of the year, at times it felt almost hopeless knowing that we had no specific treatments,” said Professor Anthony Gordon, from Imperial College London. “It was a very worrying time, yet less than six months later we’ve found clear, reliable evidence in high quality clinical trials of how we can tackle this devastating disease.”
- “The studies published today show that we now have more than one choice of treatment for those who need it most. Steroids are not a cure, but they help improve outcomes. Having a choice of different types of steroids, all of which seem to improve patient recovery, is great as it helps ease the problem of drug supply issues.”
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The World Health Organization will be expected to share new guidelines about how to use steroids drugs to treat COVID-19 patients, The New York Times reports.