Miracle or Mystery?

In the last week, you may have noticed that the news has been flooded with information about a drug that has been shown to have life-saving implications. The drug, dexamethasone, is a relatively cheap anti-inflammatory steroid that has been used widely since the 1960s. Some news outlets are proposing that this drug is a miracle and that it is a wonder cure that has the ability to save the world, but is this really the case?

What is dexamethasone?

Dexamethasone is a drug (a steroid) that has been used to treat conditions like severe allergies, adrenal problems, arthritis, blood or bone marrow conditions, kidney and skin conditions and many others, but recent clinical research is suggesting that it can act as a potential lifesaver for patients in intensive care suffering from coronavirus.

It provides relief for inflamed parts of the body and is only available with a doctor's prescription. The drug is a corticosteroid, a type of steroid that closely resembles the human-made hormone cortisol. In addition to reducing inflammation, they reduce immune function. It was clear to medical professionals that regular immune function in patients who are suffering from COVID-19 causes more damage than normal, resulting in some cases in moderate to severe lung disease.

As well as being widely available internationally, it is also cheap - costing roughly £5.47 for a day's dosage, so £35.46 for the full treatment. Considering that normally, a clinical trial program to discover new drugs and find out if they are effective can sometimes have costs in the billions, this is very reasonable, but is it the solution to the problem?

Is dexamethasone truly effective?

The trial, conducted in the UK with around 11,500 patients in ~175 hospitals across the country, tested a variety of different drugs to see how powerful they would be against coronavirus and COVID-19. The number of patients who were randomly selected to be administered dexamethasone is 2,100, which is a somewhat meagre amount compared to other trials and tests but was enough to see significant trends in the data.

The trial showed that within the patients who were administered dexamethasone, there was a reduction in deaths of those on a ventilator by a third and those on oxygen alone by a fifth. These numbers show that COVID-19 can be hindered, but not stopped, by dexamethasone. As Dr Martin Landray (professor of medicine and epidemiology at Oxford University and one of the head researcher at the trial where dexamethasone was used) said, 'COVID-19 is a worldwide disease - it is fantastic that the first treatment demonstrated to reduce mortality is one that is instantly available and affordable worldwide.'

This evidence shows that this drug has the potential to be effective in hospitals and care homes, where sufferers may be on ventilators or oxygen, and save countless lives. Despite this, I believe that we need to do more research on this so-called 'breakthrough treatment'. The preliminary results look good, but the sample size used is far too small for a treatment that could affect the lives of millions of people. In order to be certain, I think that we should conduct a trial focused on dexamethasone alone, while still trying to find a vaccine to protect those still uninfected.

What is the verdict?

In my opinion, the overall picture is looking up - the scientific community has never been so dedicated to finding a vaccine or solution to a disease ever before, and we are closer than ever before. In the meantime, this drug is looking like it is going to be a life-saver for people who are already infected, people who are suffering from a moderate-to-severe case of COVID-19 and are in hospitals, fighting for their lives against coronavirus.

On the other hand, there is NO evidence to suggest that dexamethasone can help against mild cases of COVID-19 or prevent infection. There is no point in trying to procure this drug, in people rushing to pharmacies to attempt to get dexamethasone. It would just cause unnecessary injury and pain, and if people started taking steroids irresponsibly, it could cause more harm than it could help.

Right now, the best way to prevent infection is by washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap, respecting social distancing rules, and following the Government's guidelines, wherever you live. We need to stay cautious until a definite cure is found - be this a vaccine or another drug.

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