June 23, 2020
Impact: Moderate
- Researchers at the University of Oxford reported results from a randomized study of patients with severe cases of COVID-19, with either oral or intravenous administration of the widely available steroid dexamethasone, compared to usual care.
- 2,104 patients were randomized to receive dexamethasone 6 mg once per day (either by mouth or by intravenous injection) for ten days and were compared with 4,321 patients randomized to usual care alone.
- Dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in ventilated patients and by one fifth in other patients receiving oxygen only. There was no benefit among those patients who did not require respiratory support.
- Full results have not yet been published or peer reviewed.
- The RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) trial was established as a randomized clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19, including low-dose dexamethasone. Over 11,500 patients have been enrolled at over 175 NHS hospitals in the UK.