The dexamethasone arm of the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) trial was halted early because the anti-inflammatory drug improved survival in patients with severe respiratory complications of COVID-19.
Dexamethasone, an inexpensive and widely available steroid medication, is the first drug proven to reduce deaths from COVID-19, said the U.K. government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, FRS, FMedSci, FRCP.