Saudi Arabia approves dexamethasone as coronavirus treatment

Al-Monitor Staff

Jun 17, 2020

An ampoule of Dexamethasone is seen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in this picture illustration taken June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Illustration - RC23BH9ZVDAF — An ampoule of Dexamethasone is seen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in this picture illustration taken June 17, 2020. — REUTERS/Yves Herman/Illustration

Saudi Arabia has approved dexamethasone to treat critically ill coronavirus patients following a promising study on the drug in the United Kingdom, the kingdom’s state-run news reported Wednesday.

A trial run by the University of Oxford found that the drug, a low-dose steroid used to treat inflammation, reduced the death rate among COVID-19 patients on ventilators by about 35%. The researchers estimate 5,000 lives could have been spared had the UK used the drug at the start of its outbreak.