Combining two drugs – dexamethasone and tocilizumab – could reduce deaths of seriously ill Covid patients by between one third and a half, new research has shown.
Professor Peter Horby, joint chief investigator of the RECOVERY trial, said the findings were “beyond our wildest dreams”.
With so much talk of vaccines it’s easy to forget the crucial role that treatments are playing in the fight against Covid. Tocilizumab has been given to critically ill patients since January but, crucially, the study suggests that the drug should be used on less critically ill patients to stop the illness progressing.
Researchers believe that half the patients admitted to hospital with Covid could benefit from the treatment and that for every 25 patients given the two drugs, an additional life would be saved. Â
