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Scientists hail dexamethasone as 'major breakthrough' in treating COVID-19 [and it's cheap!]
www.reuters.com ^ | 06-16-2020 | Kate Kelland, Alistair Smout

Posted on 06/16/2020 7:01:52 AM PDT by Red Badger

Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely used steroid, has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among COVID-19 patients in what scientists hailed as a “major breakthrough”.

Results of trials announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases, reduced death rates by around a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital.

The results suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in patients with severe cases of the pandemic disease, said the researchers who led the trials.

“This is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators or are on oxygen are given dexamethasone, it will save lives, and it will do so at a remarkably low cost,” said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor co-leading the trial, known as the RECOVERY trial.

“It’s going to be very hard for any drug really to replace this, given that for less than 50 pounds ($63.26), you can treat eight patients and save a life,” he told reporters in an online briefing.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: ards; chinavirustreatment; cytokinestorm; dexamethasone; hcqzpaczinc; steroid
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To: null and void

I hope lawsuits are happening. Demshevik governors are killers.


61 posted on 06/16/2020 9:47:47 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.)
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To: little jeremiah

By all means, please see post #41!


62 posted on 06/16/2020 9:52:28 AM PDT by null and void (2020 is one big Babylon Bee article)
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To: Jeff Chandler

LOL. Beat me by a mile.


63 posted on 06/16/2020 9:53:14 AM PDT by Vinnie
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To: null and void

I remember reading about the “depraved heart” thing from ...years ago, I think it was the Fergusun cop killing the “gentle giant” or another such justifiable homocide. In that case it was justified, not “depraved heart”, but these Demshevik governormaggots, they arranged for people to be killed on purpose, and knowingly. Not just the nursing homes but denying hydoxy, this has to stop!


64 posted on 06/16/2020 9:58:45 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.)
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To: little jeremiah

Yep. They use the courts against us, it’s time we smartened up and borrow the successful pages from their playbook.

Give ‘em all the Michael Flynn treatment!


65 posted on 06/16/2020 10:03:58 AM PDT by null and void (2020 is one big Babylon Bee article)
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To: zek157

I read the article. It stated for this experiment, the HCQ was useless and they stopped bothering to test it way back.

Maybe it’s ok for “prophylaxis...which apparently many medical types use it as a precaution...but apparently it’s not helping those who are really in trouble.


66 posted on 06/16/2020 10:08:41 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
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To: BushCountry

You all keep talking about prevention.

This is about CURING. They’re pointing out many times it does not cure, while dexa does. I’m very familiar with dexa because my allergic dog had to use it many times over her life.

And I don’t want to hear that garbage about Big Pharma conspiracy just trying to get more money.

Why does everyone have to hang their hat on this thing just because Trump said something?


67 posted on 06/16/2020 10:14:22 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
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To: null and void

An illegal order is an illegal order. If the pharmacist wants to play health care practitioner like they are trying to do — then perhaps they ought to act according to the mantle they wish to carry. I get to work with very good pharmacists in the ICU, however there are definitely some (especially out patient and retail) that like to play god and think they can not fill physician orders. It really is annoying. And I believe they also are looking for limited prescriptive authority (give vaccine etc) I think it is the continued erosion of medicine. All non-physicians want the rights and privilege to practice, but want to stick us physicians with all the liability.


68 posted on 06/16/2020 10:18:28 AM PDT by gas_dr (Trial lawyers AND POLITICIANS are Endangering Every Patient in America: INCLUDING THEIR LIBERTIES)
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To: gas_dr

It gives the pharmacists the fig-leaf of the Nuremberg defense.


69 posted on 06/16/2020 10:24:28 AM PDT by null and void (2020 is one big Babylon Bee article)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

These “studies” fail to use zinc. Purpose of using HQC is to carry zinc into cells so RNA virus cannot replicate. Once you are in “trouble” it’s late. Although now it appears another cheap steroid Dexamethasone appears to work well in late stage.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/health/dexamethasone-covid-drug-recovery-trial-bn/index.html

There”s no money to be made using cheap off patent drugs.


70 posted on 06/16/2020 10:28:25 AM PDT by zek157
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To: the OlLine Rebel

That’s a pretty superficial understanding. Dexamethasone does not CURE this disease. It supports a critically ill patient through a very difficult physiological period. When used at the right time it is important to make sure the patient has it and it appears superior to other meds in the same class

As for prevention, it is a whale of a lot better to prevent infection then have to deal with it. Even if minor. Thus, HCQ probably has a very good role as a preventative, not a treatment. Consider if we prohylaxed high risk elderly — and prevented the disease in the first place. Sounds like a good thing, no?

That is why I am perplexed about the pushback against vaccine. Even if only partially effective, it will reduce severity and transmission.


71 posted on 06/16/2020 10:30:27 AM PDT by gas_dr (Trial lawyers AND POLITICIANS are Endangering Every Patient in America: INCLUDING THEIR LIBERTIES)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Actually, I read a lot of good things about HCQ weeks before Trump said anything. It was the fact that all the stuff started once he did. Scientific community basically went deranged/nuts because Orange Man bad.


72 posted on 06/16/2020 10:35:55 AM PDT by BushCountry (thinks he needs a gal whose name doesn't end in ".jpg")
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To: the OlLine Rebel

I am talking about prevention and early stage help because that is where HCQ shows the greatest promise in conjunction with a Z-PAC.

I don’t have a problem saying it is not a cure, but if it helps prevent and shorten the duration of contagiousness it definitely has a place. And I am excited about dexamethasone as a cure. Great, but they are on the opposite end of the spectrum. One is to prevent hospitalization and other is help once you are there.


73 posted on 06/16/2020 10:42:38 AM PDT by BushCountry (thinks he needs a gal whose name doesn't end in ".jpg")
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To: BushCountry

Good. Thank you for acknowledging that.

Of course, I’m still not convinced this is much worse than the average flu. Worse, but still, not worthy of all this statist nonsense.


74 posted on 06/16/2020 10:52:57 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
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To: gas_dr

You’re right, I should not have said “cure” (I think I got carried away by people using the term here). But if it reduces the inflammation that may be all that’s needed.


75 posted on 06/16/2020 10:55:04 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
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To: 9YearLurker
Yeah, after Oxford did a hydroxi-only trial to try to discredit it.

Did they use hydroxichloroquine or the more toxic and side effect prone chloroquine?

There's been so much deliberate confounding of the two drugs I've lost track of how many times bad CQ results were reported as HCQ trials, and which agency did the study.

76 posted on 06/16/2020 10:58:15 AM PDT by null and void (2020 is one big Babylon Bee article)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

I agree. I am not trying to be an ass — and I am sure you know what you are talking about — unlike a lot of our peers on and off this site.

Please accept my apologies if I cam across as anything but setting the record straight. I appreciate your comments.


77 posted on 06/16/2020 10:59:23 AM PDT by gas_dr (Trial lawyers AND POLITICIANS are Endangering Every Patient in America: INCLUDING THEIR LIBERTIES)
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To: null and void

Here’s what I found, which lists only HCQ—and, critically, no zinc.

https://www.recoverytrial.net/


78 posted on 06/16/2020 11:02:14 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: gas_dr

Interesting observation. We had a large-grocery-chain pharmacist hold my dad’s prescription hostage because they did not get official word from the doctor (who probably just neglected to send fax on Friday; Lord I hate weekends).

He was just out of the hospital from bypass surgeries - like 5 weeks of recover/rehab. He has been epileptic for 60 years and on phenobarb/dilantin for almost all that. Of course they put him on Coumadin to prevent clotting, and pharmacist was pissing at me that they interact and needed doc.

I got angry right back because as I stated, he is in more danger not having his ep meds than the clotting, and he’s been on Coumadin before c. 2000 for years. If he doesn’t have his ep I KNOW he’s going to seize and who knows what that’ll do to the delicate condition he’s in! Wench finally gave me some with an angry smirk on her face. Rules, yeah, but I know more abut it and I’m fighting for my dad!


79 posted on 06/16/2020 11:03:00 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

You take away the killing of the elderly in Nursing Homes and remove the overuse of ventilators and you have at best a bad flu.

Some states over 60% of the deaths came from Nursing Homes and were needlessly slaughter by their governors. It was crazy to pay hospitals twice as much to put patients on ventilators. Typically 40% of patients die on ventilators. In NY 88% died on ventilators. Thousands and thousands of people could have been saved.


80 posted on 06/16/2020 11:04:22 AM PDT by BushCountry (thinks he needs a gal whose name doesn't end in ".jpg")
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