Following the discovery of a new cheap drug that helps to reduce mortality cases of COVID-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced moves to update its treatment guidelines for people infected with COVID-19.
The drug – dexamethasone – which is the product of a UK government-funded clinical trial, was announced on Tuesday by a UK team of scientists.
According to the researchers, it has shown in its preliminary studies and clinical trials, an ability to reduce mortality in severe and critical cases, but not much difference was observed in milder cases.
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The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a statement to Reuters on Tuesday saying;
“This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support,” adding that a full data analysis of the study will be done to increase understanding of the use of the drug.
Though the studies done so far are preliminary, the researchers behind it suggest that the drug could become a standard medication for severe and critical cases of COVID-19 patients.
NCDC reacts
Meanwhile Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said late on Tuesday that the Nigerian government had not validated the use of Dexamethasone for COVID-19 treatment.
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Please note that the Government of Nigeria has not validated or approved any treatment for COVID-19. In addition, the use of Dexamethasone for COVID-19 treatment has not been validated by @WHO
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) June 16, 2020
“We are aware of ongoing clinical trials conducted by scientists in the UK and will work with our sister agencies to evaluate this emerging data on the use of Dexamethasone. We will inform the general public on outcomes following scientific review and validation” it read.
