Dexamethasone in the management of covid -19

Abstract

On 16 June, investigators on the covid-19 RECOVERY trial revealed in a press release 1 that participants with severe covid-19 (2104) given 6 mg dexamethasone once daily had an 8-26% lower mortality than 4321 participants given standard care. Changes in the NHS covid-19 treatment protocol were soon announced based on these results. The results remain neither peer reviewed nor published, although a preprint is available. In the face of an ongoing, geographically mobile, lethal pandemic in which few highly effective-let alone affordable-treatments are available, the RECOVERY press release appropriately generated a great deal of attention, including both enthusiasm and concern.

Topics & Concepts