- British researchers have just announced that a widely studied drug in COVID-19 treatment can save lives if administered to patients with severe COVID-19 in the first 24 hours of admission to intensive care units.
- It is tocilizumab, a drug that researchers found effective in treating coronavirus in November. At the time, scientists could not know whether the drug could prevent death or simply speed recovery.
- The new data indicate that tocilizumab and sarilumab can save an extra life for every 12 critically ill COVID-19 patients.
A report said in mid-November that a coronavirus drug showed great promise during a study in the treatment of severe COVID-19. The doctors were so impressed with the results that they had to stop the study early so that the placebo group in the research could also access the therapy. But researchers at the time could not explain how the drug works. The researchers found that the treatment could increase survival rates and / or reduce recovery time, but could not explain why. “We do not know yet, we are hopeful that both will do so,” said Anthony Gordon, professor at Imperial College London. BBC at that point. The doctors hoped that the drug would become the standard of care.
The drug in question was tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug studied at different times during the pandemic, which made the news known on more than one occasion. Some studies could not finally show that the drug works, but doctors did not abandon it. This led to the British study, which shared its conclusions in November. Since then, doctors have finally figured out how the remedy works and how to save more lives.
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It is not only tocilizumab that UK doctors will use in future COVID-19 therapy, but also sarilumab, both from the same class of medicines used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The drugs are administered intravenously, and the British government is already working to ensure the provision of patients. The drugs were added to the country’s export restriction list.
‘For every 12 patients you treat with these drugs, you would expect to save a life. It’s a big effect, “Gordon said. BBC. In addition to saving more lives, the drugs also accelerate recovery and reduce the time critically ill patients have to spend about one week in intensive care.
The REMAP-CAP trial was conducted in six different countries, not just the United Kingdom, and included 800 intensive care patients. Nearly 36% of the patients who received standard care died, compared with 27% of the patients who received tocilizumab or sarilumab. The key discovery seems to be the timing of the therapy. The medicine was given to patients within 24 hours of entering intensive care.
The drugs reduce the aggravated inflammation that can occur in severe COVID-19 cases. Physicians are advised to give any medication to any COVID-19 patient who is deteriorating despite receiving dexamethasone. This is the life-saving COVID-19 treatment that was confirmed by British researchers last summer.
“The fact that there is now another drug that can help reduce the mortality rate for patients with Covid-19 is very welcome news and another positive development in the ongoing fight against the virus,” said Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of the NHS, said.
“The UK has proven time, and it’s once again at the forefront of identifying and providing the most promising, innovative treatments for its patients,” said Matt Hancock, Secretary of Health and Social Care. “Today’s results are another important development to find a way out of this pandemic, and when added to the armaments of already vaccinated vaccines and treatments, it will play an important role in combating this virus. “
Dexamethasone is an incredibly affordable therapy as it is a commonly used steroid. A treatment course costs £ 5 ($ 7). But tocilizumab and sarilumab are much more expensive, costing between £ 750 ($ 1,019) and £ 1,000 ($ 1,359) per patient. The BBC points out that the drugs are still cheaper than the £ 2,000 ($ 2,716) paid for a day of intensive care.
Chris Smith started writing about a hobby about gadgets, and before he knew it, he shared his views on technological things with readers around the world. If he does not write about equipment, he can not stay in it, even though he is desperately trying. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.