An inexpensive, widely used steroid dexamethasone was included in the treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients in moderate to severe stages of illness among other therapeutic measures by the Union health ministry on Saturday.

The updated protocol includes the advice to use dexamethasone as an alternative choice to methylprednisolone for managing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. The change has been made after considering the latest available evidence and expert consultation, the ministry said.

According to the revised 'Clinical Management Protocols for COVID-19', dexamethasone which is already used in treating lung infections besides in a wide range of conditions for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects can be used as an alternative to methylprednisolone which already existed in the treatment guidelines.&nbsp;

The health ministry on June 13 had also allowed the use of antiviral drug remdesivir for restricted emergency use and off-label application of tocilizumab, a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning, and convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19 patients in moderate stage of the illness as an &nbsp;investigational therapy.

It also recommended hydroxychloroquine in patients during the early course of the disease and not on critically ill patients.&nbsp;

The use of these drugs continues to be included in the revised treatment protocols under the 'investigational therapy'.

The revised treatment protocols for moderate cases advised considering methylprednisolone 0.5 to 1 mg/kg or dexamethasone 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg for three days, preferably within 48 hours of admission or if oxygen requirement is increasing and if inflammatory markers are increased. The duration of administration should be reviewed as per clinical response.

For patients having respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation, both non- invasive and invasive, the ministry said methylprednisolone 1 &nbsp; 2mg/kg/day or dexamethasone 0.2 to 0.4 mg/kg per day should be considered for 5-7 days in two divided doses, if not given already.

"Note that a larger dose of glucocorticoid will delay the removal of coronavirus due to immunosuppressive effects," the treatment protocols stated.

The revised treatment protocols were issued as India's COVID-19 tally raced past the five-lakh mark on Saturday with the biggest single-day surge of 18,552 cases while the death toll climbed to 15,685 with 384 fatalities, the updated figure at 8 am showed. &nbsp; &nbsp;

According to WHO, the corticosteroid dexamethasone was tested in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom's national clinical trial 'RECOVERY' and was found to have benefits for critically ill patients.&nbsp;

According to preliminary findings shared with WHO, for patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one-third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one-fifth.

An inexpensive, widely used steroid dexamethasone was included in the treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients in moderate to severe stages of illness among other therapeutic measures by the Union health ministry on Saturday.

An inexpensive, widely used steroid dexamethasone was included in the treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients in moderate to severe stages of illness among other therapeutic measures by the Union health ministry on Saturday. The updated protocol includes the advice to use dexamethasone as an alternative choice to methylprednisolone for managing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. The change has been made after considering the latest available evidence and expert consultation, the ministry said. According to the revised 'Clinical Management Protocols for COVID-19', dexamethasone which is already used in treating lung infections besides in a wide range of conditions for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects can be used as an alternative to methylprednisolone which already existed in the treatment guidelines. The health ministry on June 13 had also allowed the use of antiviral drug remdesivir for restricted emergency use and off-label application of tocilizumab, a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning, and convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19 patients in moderate stage of the illness as an investigational therapy. It also recommended hydroxychloroquine in patients during the early course of the disease and not on critically ill patients. The use of these drugs continues to be included in the revised treatment protocols under the 'investigational therapy'. The revised treatment protocols for moderate cases advised considering methylprednisolone 0.5 to 1 mg/kg or dexamethasone 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg for three days, preferably within 48 hours of admission or if oxygen requirement is increasing and if inflammatory markers are increased. The duration of administration should be reviewed as per clinical response. For patients having respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation, both non- invasive and invasive, the ministry said methylprednisolone 1 2mg/kg/day or dexamethasone 0.2 to 0.4 mg/kg per day should be considered for 5-7 days in two divided doses, if not given already. "Note that a larger dose of glucocorticoid will delay the removal of coronavirus due to immunosuppressive effects," the treatment protocols stated. The revised treatment protocols were issued as India's COVID-19 tally raced past the five-lakh mark on Saturday with the biggest single-day surge of 18,552 cases while the death toll climbed to 15,685 with 384 fatalities, the updated figure at 8 am showed. According to WHO, the corticosteroid dexamethasone was tested in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom's national clinical trial 'RECOVERY' and was found to have benefits for critically ill patients. According to preliminary findings shared with WHO, for patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one-third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one-fifth.

Health ministry adds steroid dexamethasone in COVID-19 treatment protocol

Soaring hospital demand for the steroid dexamethasone, which British researchers say significantly reduces mortality among severely ill COVID-19 patients, is outstripping supply in the United States.

Hospitals and other health-care customers advised by Vizient increased orders of the drug by more than 600% after the researchers announced their findings last week.

Manufacturers were only able to fill around half of those orders.

Vizient’s data shows that hospitals are increasingly putting the drug into use to treat COVID-19 patients.

According to Oxford University researchers, dexamethasone reduced death rates by nearly a third among COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical breathing assistance.

The injectable version of dexamethasone has been in shortage in the US since February of last year, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Soaring hospital demand for the steroid dexamethasone, which British researchers say significantly reduces mortality among severely ill COVID-19 patients, is outstripping supply in the United States.

Soaring hospital demand for the steroid dexamethasone, which British researchers say significantly reduces mortality among severely ill COVID-19 patients, is outstripping supply in the United States. Hospitals and other health-care customers advised by Vizient increased orders of the drug by more than 600% after the researchers announced their findings last week. Manufacturers were only able to fill around half of those orders. Vizient’s data shows that hospitals are increasingly putting the drug into use to treat COVID-19 patients. According to Oxford University researchers, dexamethasone reduced death rates by nearly a third among COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical breathing assistance. The injectable version of dexamethasone has been in shortage in the US since February of last year, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Coronavirus: Demand for dexamethasone in US is outstripping supply

Scientists in the U.K say they have made a major breakthrough in the fight against the Wuhan virus. Dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid is being called a life-saving drug

Gravitas: Dexamethasone: A breakthrough in Coronavirus fight

World Health Organization(WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the "UK government, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough" after initial results showed dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, could be used as a life saving drug for patients who are critically ill with coronavirus.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/big-breakthrough-british-scientists-find-a-drug-that-cuts-covid-19-death-rate-306304">Also Read:&nbsp;British scientists find a drug that cuts COVID-19 death rate</a>

WHO said Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers.&nbsp;

"It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations," it added.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-dexamethasone-a-breakthrough-in-coronavirus-fight-306367/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The UN health body said that researchers shared initial insights about dexamethasone results of the trial with WHO, and it will look at the full data analysis in the coming days.

For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO.

Meanwhile, the British government said it would administer the drug to seriously ill COVID-19 patients immediately.

The University of Oxford researchers had administered the steroid dexamethasone to over 2,000 severely ill coronavirus patients during the trial.

The breakthrough comes amid reports of a second wave in Beijing and the United States with millions still infected with the virus globally.

The virus has already claimed 436,813 lives and infected over 8 million people worldwide with Latin America becoming the latest hotspot even as the death toll in the US continues to climb.

World Health Organization(WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the "UK government, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough" after initial results showed dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, could be used as a life saving drug for patients who are critically ill with coronavirus.

World Health Organization(WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the "UK government, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough" after initial results showed dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, could be used as a life saving drug for patients who are critically ill with coronavirus. Also Read: British scientists find a drug that cuts COVID-19 death rate WHO said Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers. "It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations," it added. Watch: The UN health body said that researchers shared initial insights about dexamethasone results of the trial with WHO, and it will look at the full data analysis in the coming days. For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO. Meanwhile, the British government said it would administer the drug to seriously ill COVID-19 patients immediately. The University of Oxford researchers had administered the steroid dexamethasone to over 2,000 severely ill coronavirus patients during the trial. The breakthrough comes amid reports of a second wave in Beijing and the United States with millions still infected with the virus globally. The virus has already claimed 436,813 lives and infected over 8 million people worldwide with Latin America becoming the latest hotspot even as the death toll in the US continues to climb.

After breakthrough, UK to begin administering steroid dexamethasone to COVID-19 patients

For the world battling a high mortality rate due to the coronavirus pandemic, steroid Dexamethasone can be a boon. The researchers in England have claimed that it can reduce COVID-19 deaths by one-third in severely ill hospitalised patients. This is the first evidence that a drug can improve the survival rate. Watch report.

The life-saving drug Dexamethasone reduces COVID-19 deaths

dexamethasone

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