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Dexamethasone, a Iow cost steroid used to reduce inflammation, has proven effective at reducing deaths in severely ill patients of COVID-19 that reguire respiratory support

•    The RECOVERY trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) is a randomised clinical trial led by Oxford University that aims to test the potential efficacy of commonly available treatments against CON/ID-19. Since its start in March 2020, it has enrolled over 11,500 patients and 175 hospitals in the U.K.

•    On 16 June 2020, RECOVERY announced that one of the treatments investigated - Dexamethasone, a steroid used to reduce inflammation - had proven to be effective at reducing deaths in severely ill patients requiring either oxygen or ventilators¹

Summary of RECOVERY trial

Treatment	Typical usage	Status
Dexamethasone (Low-dose)	Inflammation reduction (steroid)	Trial stopped due to proven efficacy
Lopinavir-Ritonavir	HIV treatment	Trial ongoing
Azithromycin	Antibiotic	Trial ongoing
Tocilizumab	Anti-inflammatory (given by injection)	Trial ongoing
Convalescent plasma	Antiviral technique	Trial ongoing
Hydroxychloroquine	Antimalarial	Trial stopped due to

proven lack of efficacy

1 in 25

Importantly, Dexamethasone is generic and therefore far morę cheap than patented treatments, such as Remdesivir, which has so far been one of the morę promising potential treatments. This makes it easier to employ at scalę and is a particular benefit for poorer countries

Quantified number of deaths prevented by Dexamethasone

Patients on ventilators

Patients on oxygen only

Notę ^,Dexamethasone showed no effect - either positive or negative - on less ill patients that repuired no respiratory support Source: RECOVERY press release. 16 June 2020

7 O 2020 L E K. Consulting LLC

1

   The results indicated that Dexamethasone reduced deaths by one third in ventilated patients, and one fifth in patients receiving oxygen only. This is equivalent to preventing one death in eight for ventilated patients or one in 25 for oxygen only