What is dexamethasone? A drug that boosts Covid-19 survival chance

Low-cost, widely-used steroid dexamethasone is first to show life-saving promise

A cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among Covid-19 patients in what scientists said is a “major breakthrough” in the coronavirus pandemic.

Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, reduced death rates by around a third among the most severely ill of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital.

The preliminary results suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in