WHO ( World Health Organisation )
After the British clinical trials showed a life-saving potential for critical coronavirus patients, the World Health Organization called on Monday for a rapid increase in the production of steroid dexamethasone.
Dexamethasone was administered in over 2,000 severely disabled patients who receive the new coronavirus by researchers led by a University of Oxford team. It reduced deaths by 35% among those who could breathe using just a ventilator.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva that although the data are still preliminary, the recent finding that the steroid dexamethasone has life-saving potential for critically ill COVID-19 patients gave us a much-needed reason to celebrate.
The next challenge is to increase production and rapidly and equitably distribute dexamethasone worldwide, focusing on where it is needed most, he added.
Dexamethasone, a low-dose steroid, is on the market for more than 60 years and usually reduces inflammation.
The WHO stresses that dexamethasone should only be used under close clinical supervision for patients with serious or critical diseases.
It is not evidence that the medicine works as a preventive measure for patients with mild disease and could be harmful, Tedros said.
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