{"id":150293,"date":"2020-06-18T05:44:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T05:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bnreport.com\/scientists-discover-breakthrough-treatment\/"},"modified":"2020-06-18T05:44:50","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T05:44:50","slug":"scientists-discover-breakthrough-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bnreport.com\/en\/scientists-discover-breakthrough-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists discover \u2018breakthrough\u2019 treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

A common steroid drug is seeing game-changing results as a treatment for COVID-19. What is it and what results is it seeing?<\/p>\n

New hope has been ignited in the fight against coronavirus<\/a> today as scientists in the UK reveal they have made a \u201cmajor breakthrough\u201d with a drugs treatment. The common steroid drug dexamethasone was shown to reduce death rates by a third for patients on ventilators, and by a fifth for patients needing oxygen. The results have been published from the Recovery trial which is assessing a number of different possible COVD-19 treatments.
\n[contfnewc]<\/p>\n

Initial reports suggest the drug could have saved between 4,000 to 5,000 lives if it had been used earlier in the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor who is co-leading the trial, said: \u201cThis is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators or are on oxygen are given dexamethasone, it will save lives, and it will do so at a remarkably low cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

His co-lead investigator, Peter Horby, said dexamethasone \u2013 a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation \u2013 is \u201cthe only drug that\u2019s so far shown to reduce mortality \u2013 and it reduces it significantly\u201d.<\/p>\n

Horby added: \u201cIt is a major breakthrough.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did the study entail?<\/h3>\n

During the course of the study, 2,104 patients received 6mg of dexamethasone once a day by mouth or intravenous injection for 10 days.<\/p>\n

Their outcomes were compared with a control group of 4,321 patients.<\/p>\n

Over a 28-day period, the mortality rate among patients requiring ventilation was 41 percent, and for those needing oxygen it was 25 percent.<\/p>\n

Among those not requiring respiratory intervention the figure was 13 percent.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 treatments \u2013 latest<\/h3>\n

The latest development comes a day after the announcement that a new drug for preventing lung damage and blood clots in people with coronavirus is set to be trialled in UK hospitals.<\/p>\n

According to the research, which is backed by researchers at the British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence at Imperial College London, the drug, a molecule known as TRV027, could put a brake on many of the dangerous processes which occur in COVID-19, such as lung damage and blood clots.<\/p>\n

The cell pathways targeted by the drug are thought to be major drivers of severe illness in COVID-19.<\/p>\n

The pilot trial will involve 60 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, and will follow patients for eight days during the critical period where some patients symptoms worsen significantly requiring treatment in ICU and sometimes ventilation.<\/p>\n

Dr David Owen, Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Clinical Pharmacologist at Imperial College London who is jointly leading the study said: \u201cThis virus poses a huge challenge for researchers because so much about it is unknown. In order to fight it, we need a team effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project has brought together pathologists, virologists, pharmacologists and researchers who usually focus on heart and circulatory diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrawing on this range of expertise will give us the best chance of finding a desperately needed treatment for COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n

General tips for reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19<\/h3>\n

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, self-isolate for at least seven days from when your symptoms started, according to the NHS.<\/p>\n

You can stop self-isolating after seven days if either:<\/p>\n