Against the backdrop of Dexamethasone being termed major breakthrough in Covid-19 treatment, the Punjab government on Wednesday banned the sale of the steroid drug without doctor’s prescription, local media reported. Now Dexamethasone is to be used to cure the COVID-19 patients.
“A major breakthrough”
Scientists have found a cheap and widely-available drug which can help save lives of seriously ill coronavirus patients
It’s called Dexamethasone
[Thread]https://t.co/BWtuIUTLxc
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 16, 2020
The chief drug controller issued directives for drug inspectors to monitor the distribution of Dexamethasone across the province and maintain a record of the drug’s stock in the province. The directives are aimed at averting possible hoarding of the steroid drug.
Earlier it was reported that consuming leaves of the senna plant or sana makki can cure Covid-19. The news went viral and people started using it.
Later on, a report found the claim to be misleading as health experts concede that the herbal treatment can boost immunity, however, it is in no way a cure for the deadly virus.
Dr Tahir Shamsi, head of the National Institute of Blood Diseases said the herbal treatment boosts immunity. “The herb has been used in allopathic medicine for centuries now with hakims and physicians alike using it to help cure chronic constipation,” he went on to say.
Read Morre: Cure for COVID-19: Hydroxychloroquine proved ineffective
Sennoside and anthraquinone are two substances found in Sana Makki leaves which help reduce inflammation, as well as, swelling of the throat during influenza. Dr Tahir warned that these benefits are outweighed by its side effects “as everyone responds differently to it”. Dexamethasone is to be used to cure the patients after approval by the experts.
Experts to decide about the use of dexamethasone, Zafar Mirza
Earlier today, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza said a committee of health experts will consider the use of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to treat critical COVID-19 patients in the country.
SAPM on National Health Services @zfrmrza warns that #dexamethasone is only for critically ill #COVID19 patients who are on oxygen and ventilators https://t.co/QvRdpzgPOr #TogetherWeCan #COVID19Pandemic #COVID19#CoronavirusPandemic pic.twitter.com/L93v19sZ9u
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) June 17, 2020
In a Twitter statement, he said: “Positive results from UK on use of Dexamethaone in critical patients welcomed by WHO as a 1st treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring Oxygen or ventilator support. Expert Committee in [Pakistan] to consider inclusion.”
The special assistant said it is an old and cheap anti-inflammatory medicine (steroid), adding there are multiple producers of the drug in the country.
Read More: Remdesivir: The cure to Covid-19?
It is noteworthy that a UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY lately showed the steroid saved the lives of one third of the gravest cases. The results, described as a “major breakthrough” by scientists who led the trial, suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in patients treated in hospital with the pandemic disease, the researchers said. Dexamethasone is to be used to cure the COVID-19 patients now.
“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 who is co-leading the trial.
Dexamethasone is to be used to cure the COVID-19 patients: COVID-19 cases are rising in Pakistan
As Dexamethasone is to be used to cure the critically ill patients, the countrywide tally of coronavirus cases has surged to 154,760 after 5,839 new infections were detected in the country over the past 24 hours, while record 136 people succumbed to the deadly disease.
So far, 58,239 cases have been detected in Punjab, 57,868 in Sindh, 19,107 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 8,437 in Balochistan, 9,242 in Islamabad, 703 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 1,164 in Gilgit Baltistan, according to data released by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC).
Read More: Chinese lab claims cure for coronavirus without vaccine
With 136 more Covid-19 related fatalities recorded over the past 24 hours, the number of people succumbing to the disease in the country has jumped to 2,975so far. A total of 5,839 new cases were detected when 28,117 new tests were conducted during this period.
The number of people defeating the deadly virus has reached 58,437. So far, 950,782 tests have been conducted across the country. Dexamethasone is to be used to cure the serious patients in Pakistan after the approval of the concerned authorities.