By Tony Winterburn • Published: 17 Jun 2020 • 14:01
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today in his speech from parliament that he now has “objective proof” that the drug Dexamethasone does work in the treatment of COVID-19 and says they currently have 240,000 doses in stock and on order.
In what is being seen as a breakthrough in the treatment of the coronavirus the government has announced it now has definite and objective proof that the drug is safe and effective against the deadly disease.
The drug was developed in 1957 and was first approved for medical use by the Food and Drug Administration in the US in 1958. Dexamethasone is relatively cheap, with researchers saying the cost of a course of treatment for people seriously ill with coronavirus is about £40.
The NHS now plans to make the drug available to all patients in hospital who will benefit from it. Dexamethasone is also available globally at cheap prices, meaning poorer countries will benefit.
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