What are the most promising medicines?

摘要

AS THE World Health Organization (WHO) baldly reminds us, "there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19". However, trials of treatments are taking place. Some have shown promise in helping those infected by calming an overreacting immune system or targeting the coronavirus - either by destroying it or stopping it from replicating. Dexamethasone, a widely available steroid that dampens the immune response, became the first medicine shown to reduce deaths in covid-19 patients. The RECOVERY trial of more than 2000 people found that it reduced deaths in people on mechanical ventilators by a third - and by a fifth in those who received oxygen but not ventilation. "The trial showed it is beneficial to those who are severely affected," says Sheuli Porkess at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. It is now being used by the National Health Service in the UK to treat covid-19.