A cheap steroid has become the first life-saving treatment in the Covid-19 pandemic, described by scientists as a major breakthrough and raising hopes for the survival of thousands of the most seriously ill.
Dexamethasone is cheap, available from any pharmacy, and easily obtainable anywhere in the world. Investigators said the drug was responsible for the survival of one in eight of the sickest patients – those who were on ventilators – in the Recovery trial, the biggest randomised, controlled trial of coronavirus treatments in the world.
“It is the only drug so far shown to reduce mortality and it reduces it significantly,” said Peter Horby, a professor of emerging infectious diseases in the Nuffield department of medicine, at the University of Oxford, and one of the chief investigators of the trial. “It is a major breakthrough, I think.”
Prof Martin Landray, his co-chief investigator said the sickest patients could begin to be treated with the drug immediately. “The search has been on for a treatment that actually reduces the risk of dying. There hasn’t been one until today.
“This is a drug that is globally available. This is not an expensive drug. That is immensely important.”
A total of 2,104 patients were chosen at random to receive 6mg of dexamethasone once a day (either by mouth or by intravenous injection) for 10 days, and were compared with 4,321 patients chosen at random to continue with normal care alone. Among the latter group of patients, 28-day mortality was highest in those who required ventilation (41%), intermediate in those who required oxygen only (25%), and lowest among those who did not require any respiratory intervention (13%).
Image Credit: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
News This Week
New study shows risk factors for dementia – virus causes deposits in the brain
Research into the causes of Alzheimer's is not yet complete. Now a new study shows that head trauma can activate herpes viruses and promote the disease. Frankfurt am Main – As a neurodegenerative disease, [...]
Are Machines Truly Thinking? Modern AI Systems Have Finally Achieved Turing’s Vision
Modern AI systems have fulfilled Turing’s vision of machines that learn and converse like humans, but challenges remain. A new paper highlights concerns about energy consumption and societal inequality while calling for more robust [...]
The Surprising Link Between Smell, Sound, and Emotions
New research reveals how smell and hearing interact in the brain to drive social behavior, using mouse maternal instincts as a model. Imagine you’re at a dinner party, but you can’t smell the food [...]
Brain cells age at different rates
As our body ages, not only joints, bones and muscles wear out, but also our nervous system. Nerve cells die, are no longer fully replaced, and the brain shrinks. "Aging is the most important risk factor [...]
Long COVID Breakthrough: Spike Proteins Persist in Brain for Years
Researchers have discovered that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein persists in the brain and skull bone marrow for years after infection, potentially leading to chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers from Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) have [...]
Water-Resistant Paper Could Revolutionize Packaging and Replace Plastic
A groundbreaking study showcases the creation of sustainable hydrophobic paper, enhanced by cellulose nanofibres and peptides, presenting a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based materials, with potential uses in packaging and biomedical devices. Researchers aimed to [...]
NIH Scientists Discover Game-Changing Antibodies Against Malaria
Novel antibodies have the potential to pave the way for the next generation of malaria interventions. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a novel class of antibodies that target a previously unexplored region [...]
Surprising Discovery: What If Some Cancer Genes Are Actually Protecting You?
A surprising discovery reveals that a gene previously thought to accelerate esophageal cancer actually helps protect against it initially. This pivotal study could lead to better prediction and prevention strategies tailored to individual genetic [...]
The Cancer Test That Exposes What Conventional Scans Miss
Researchers at UCLA have unveiled startling findings using PSMA-PET imaging that reveal nearly half of patients diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer might actually have metastases missed by traditional imaging methods. This revelation could profoundly affect future [...]
Pupil size in sleep reveals how memories are processed
Cornell University researchers have found that the pupil is key to understanding how, and when, the brain forms strong, long-lasting memories. By studying mice equipped with brain electrodes and tiny eye-tracking cameras, the researchers [...]
Stanford’s Vaccine Breakthrough Boosts Flu Protection Like Never Before
Stanford Medicine researchers have developed a new method for influenza vaccination that encourages a robust immune response to all four common flu subtypes, potentially increasing the vaccine’s efficacy. In laboratory tests using human tonsil [...]
Water’s Worst Nightmare: The Rise of Superhydrophobic Materials
New materials with near-perfect water repellency offer potential for self-cleaning surfaces in cars and buildings. Scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) have developed a surface [...]
Japanese dentists test drug to help people with missing teeth regrow new ones
Japanese dentists are testing a groundbreaking drug that could enable people with missing teeth to grow new ones, reducing the need for dentures and implants, AFP recently reported. Katsu Takahashi, head of oral surgery at [...]
An AI system has reached human level on a test for ‘general intelligence’
A new artificial intelligence (AI) model has just achieved human-level results on a test designed to measure "general intelligence." On December 20, OpenAI's o3 system scored 85% on the ARC-AGI benchmark, well above the previous AI best [...]
According to Researchers, Your Breathing Patterns Could Hold the Key to Better Memory
Breathing synchronizes brain waves that support memory consolidation. A new study from Northwestern Medicine reports that, much like a conductor harmonizes various instruments in an orchestra to create a symphony, breathing synchronizes hippocampal brain waves to [...]
The Hidden Culprit Behind Alzheimer’s Revealed: Microglia Under the Microscope
Researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center have made a groundbreaking discovery in Alzheimer’s disease research, identifying a critical link between cellular stress in the brain and disease progression. Their study focuses on microglia, the brain’s immune [...]
