The Central government has approved the usage of low-cost steroid drug dexamethasone to treat the covid-19 patients in India with moderate and severe symptoms. British clinical trials had earlier found Dexamethasone to be effective against severely ill patients. The drug is approved to be used in place of methylprednisolone, which was used earlier in treating the patients.
This approval from the government came after the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged the countries for increasing the production of dexamethasone. The Union Health Ministry updated the "Clinical Management Protocol: COVID-19” document, which was published to be used by health care officials for treating the patients.
As per the "Clinical Management Protocol: COVID-19” document, dexamethasone can be used on the covid patients who are on oxygen support & on those who have an excessive inflammatory response.
Earlier this month, 2 researchers in the UK had found this low-cost steroid ‘Dexamethasone’ which had proved to be helpful for treating critical covid-19 patients dependent on ventilators or oxygen supply.
But, researchers at that time said that the findings are still in the preliminary stage. The researchers also suggest that the drug must immediately become standard care in patients treated in the hospital with the disease.
Now the WHO has emphasised on the usage of dexamethasone for critical COVID patients under close clinical supervision.
On Thursday, Hetero, Hyderabad-based drugmake, which has the approval to manufacture and market the generic version of the experimental covid-19 drug Remdesivir, sent 20,000 vials to five states including Maharashtra and Delhi.
