Dexamethasone: What is it and how does it fight against Covid-19?: Watch | Oneindia News

Dexamethasone is a steroid that decreases the body’s natural defensive response and decrease inflammation such as swelling and allergic-type reactions.

The drug has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations.

It has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of medical conditions, including certain cancers.

The preliminary results from the trial led by Oxford scientists show that the drug can reduce deaths by one-third in ventilated COVID-19 patients and by one-fifth in patients receiving oxygen only.

Results from the RECOVERY trial, which is the world’s biggest randomised controlled trials for COVID-19 treatments, suggested that the drug could reduce the mortality rate significantly.

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