Steroid Dexamethasone approved as COVID-19 treatment in UK
London: The UK government on Wednesday authorized the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) to use steroid dexamethasone, the world's first coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death among severely ill patients.
The Department of Health said the cheap and widely available anti-inflammatory steroid has been immediately approved to treat all hospitalized COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen, including those on ventilators after an Oxford University trial confirmed positive results on Tuesday.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the government-funded trial as the biggest breakthrough, which has greatly reduced patients' chances of dying from COVID-19.
I am proud of these British scientists, backed by UK government funding, who have led the first, robust clinical trial anywhere in the world to find a coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death, he said.
According to scientists, the drug has been proven to reduce the risk of death significantly in COVID-19 patients on ventilation by as much as 35 percent and patients on oxygen by 20 percent.
The standard treatment for COVID-19 will include dexamethasone, helping save thousands of lives while we deal with this terrible virus, said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
This astounding breakthrough is a testament to the incredible work being done by our scientists behind the scenes, he said.
The drug has also been added to the UK government's parallel export list, which bans companies from buying medicines meant for UK patients and selling them on for a higher price in another country.
This will protect supply for UK patients by enforcing regulatory action on those who flout the restrictions, the Department of Health said.
The trial formed part of the 2.1-million pounds Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial, backed by the UK government to explore innovative medicines in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
With over 177,000 patients enrolled, it is described as the largest randomized clinical trial anywhere in the world and will continue to try other medicines, such as azithromycin and lopinavir-ritonavir.
The RECOVERY trial is an outstanding example of the UK leading the world with an impressive study capable of delivering robust answers to critical questions. Although these data have not yet been peer-reviewed, said UK Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.
The positive findings on dexamethasone follow the disappointing findings on hydroxychloroquine. Together these two results illustrate the power of properly conducted clinical trials and the inherent danger of assuming things work without robust data, he said.
The medical expert said the dexamethasone findings are very encouraging because the signal on reduced mortality applies to many of the patients admitted to hospitals and the drug is comparatively low priced and available worldwide.
The UK government believes the trial will impact the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The vital information collected by UK researchers will also be used by other countries to reduce mortality rates worldwide, the Department of Health said.
The RECOVERY trial reported the findings of 2,104 patients randomized to dexamethasone in comparison with 4,321 patients randomized allocated to the usual standard of care alone.
The trial has reported at a dose of 6mg dexamethasone once a day for up to 10 days or discharged if sooner. No benefit is seen for patients hospitalized and not on oxygen.
The drug, according to the scientists, is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.
However, the drug is banned in-competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) but its usage is allowed out-of-competition if athletes have the requisite Therapeutic Usage Exemption (TUE).
Asian bronze-winning Indian javelin thrower Davinder Singh Kang is currently under provisional suspension after returning positive for the substance in an in-competition test conducted last year.
In 2017, Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos had tested positive for the drug during the Champions League but was let off after offering an apology for the team doctor's failure to disclose the medication he had taken.
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Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends: officials
Cairo (AP): Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, while proposing that discussions on the larger question of its nuclear programme would come in a later phase, two regional officials said Monday.
US President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the US and Israel to go to war on February 28.
With a fragile ceasefire in place, the US and Iran are locked in a standoff over the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passes in peacetime. The US blockade is designed to prevent Iran from selling its oil, depriving it of crucial revenue while also potentially creating a situation where Tehran has to shut off production because it has nowhere to store the oil.
The strait's closure, meanwhile, has put pressure on Trump, as oil and gasoline prices have skyrocketed ahead of crucial midterm elections, and it has pressured his Gulf allies, which use the waterway to export their oil and gas.
The closure has also had far-reaching effects throughout the world economy, raising the price of fertilizer, food and other basic goods.
The proposal would push off negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme to a later date. Trump said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
The two officials, who had knowledge of the proposal, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani officials this weekend. The Axios news outlet first reported Iran's proposal.
It came as Iran's foreign minister visited Russia, which has long been a key backer of Tehran. It's unclear what, if any, assistance Moscow might offer now.
Strait of Hormuz remains blocked
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Iran's ability to choke off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has proved one of its biggest strategic advantages in a war that has often boiled down to which side can take more pain.
Oil prices have risen steadily since the war began and tankers full of crude became stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely transit through the strait and reach global distribution points.
On Monday, the spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at around $108 per barrel, nearly 50 per cent higher than when the war began.
Iranian foreign minister holds talks as negotiations with US stall
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Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire the US and Iran agreed to on April 7 that has largely halted fighting. But a permanent settlement remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in St. Petersburg on Monday morning ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period and what is happening now,” Araghchi said in a video interview posted by IRNA.
It comes as Pakistan has been seeking to revive stalled talks between Iran and the US, and negotiations had been expected in Islamabad over the weekend. Instead, Trump called off a trip by his envoys and suggested the talks could take place by phone instead.
Over the weekend, Araghchi made two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, which shares the strait with Iran. He also spoke by phone with counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter.
Oman's response wasn't immediately clear.
The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, also said Iran insisted on ending the US blockade before new talks and that Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries.
Trump says Iran has offered a much better proposal
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Trump told journalists Saturday that after he called off a trip by his envoys to Pakistan, Iran sent a “much better” proposal.
He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon”.
Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but the US wants to remove Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to build a bomb, should Tehran choose to pursue one.
Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group resumed two days after the Iran war started. Another 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US service members in the region and six UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been extended by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.
