Steroid drug hailed as 'breakthrough' in COVID-19 as trial shows it saves lives

Britain is to start treating seriously ill coronavirus patients with a basic steroid, dexamethasone, after tests showed it boosted survival rates significantly. AFP / JUSTIN TALLIS

A cheap and widely-used steroid called dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among COVID-19 patients in what scientists said is a “major breakthrough” in the coronavirus pandemic.

Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, reduced death rates by around a third among the most severely ill of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital.