50p-a-day pill to conquer covid

PM hails steroid that cuts deaths by a third in sickest patients as biggest breakthrough yet

A DRUG that costs just 50p a day can save thousands of lives from coronavirus, Oxford scientists revealed yesterday. Dexamethasone, a common steroid, cuts deaths among the sickest patients by a third. It is the first virus treatment anywhere to be proven to save lives.

First used 60 years ago, it is cheap, out of patent, in mass production and readily available.

Professor Martin Landray, who co-led the trial, estimates that 5,000 British lives could have been saved had the drug been in use at the start of the pandemic.

It is now the standard treatment for severely ill Covid patients and has been added to a list of medicines that cannot be exported.

The trial’s success made headlines around the world last night. Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, described the results as ‘groundbreaking’.

At a Downing Street press conference Boris Johnson said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that the biggest breakthrough yet has been made by a fantastic team of scientists right here in the UK. This drug, dexamethasone, can now be made available across the NHS and we’ve taken steps to ensure we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak.’

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was

‘a huge step forward’ and the drug had been stockpiled in case the trial succeeded. Around 200,000 courses are on standby.

The results are likely to increase pressure on the Government to accelerate the easing of lockdown restrictions. Sir Patrick offered hope that the 2m social distancing rule could soon be relaxed, saying it was not an ‘absolute cut off that never changes’ and Mr Johnson said: ‘Watch this space’.

In other developments:

■ It emerged that thousands more Covid victims could be identified with a ‘game-changing’ test;

■ More than two million people may be able to stop ‘shielding’ in their homes from July;

■ London, once the city worst hit by the pandemic, now has lower than average death rates;

■ A study suggested under-20s were half as susceptible to Covid;

■ The number claiming out- ofwork benefits soared to almost three million;

■ Ministers were forced to reverse their decision not to provide free school meals over the summer following a campaign led by footballer Marcus Rashford;

■ An official report warned that historic racism had contributed to a higher coronavirus death rate amongst BAME groups;

■ An NHS boss warned gambling firms must not use the restarting of the football season to ‘open the floodgates of addiction’;

■ Mr Johnson revealed he was talking to France and Spain on air corridors, with the first agreements due by the end of June.

The results of the Oxford trial – the biggest coronavirus study in the world – is one of the first real moments of hope in the crisis.

Scientists have been searching for a treatment that could help the sickest patients. Unveiling the results yesterday, Professor Landray said: ‘Dexamethasone will save lives and it will do so at a

‘Instantly available and affordable’

remarkably low cost. It is fantastic that the first treatment demonstrated to reduce mortality is one that is instantly available and affordable worldwide.’

Professor Peter Horby, chief investigator of the trial, added: ‘This is the only drug so far shown to reduce mortality and it reduces it significantly. What we saw was really quite remarkable. Doctors can walk across to the pharmacy cupboard in five minutes and they know how it works.’

The Government-funded trial has involved six different treatments and 2,104 patients were given dexamethasone once a day, either by tablet or injection.

Results for the other drugs are due soon and the researchers will examine whether combining dexamethasone with them works even better.

Yesterday’s results showed that the steroid reduces death rates in three quarters of coronavirus patients in hospital.

Of victims on ventilators, death rates were cut by a third, from 40 per cent to 28 per cent.

For patients needing oxygen, it cut the risk of death by a fifth, from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.

For hospital patients with milder illness, who did not require breathing assistance, the drug did not lead to any reduction in mortality.

But being able to treat patients on ventilation and oxygen – 75 per cent of hospitalised Covid victims – is hugely significant.

Professor Landray said: ‘What we can see is the biggest benefits in those people at the biggest risks, which I guess if you wanted to design a drug is exactly how you’d hope to have the results.

‘It costs in the order of £5 for a complete course of treatments in the NHS and substantially less – probably less than $1 – in other parts of the world.’

Dexamethasone is widely used to treat a range of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, skin conditions and asthma. Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was ‘the most important trial result for Covid-19 so far’ and will save lives around the world.

Sir Patrick said: ‘This is a groundbreaking development in our fight against the disease.’

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