It is a corticosteriod drug, typically used in dealing with rheumatic problems, several skin diseases and some respiratory infections like asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease.
Dexamethasone can also treat croup, which is a respiratory infection usually caused by a virus.
It was created in 1957, before being approved for medical use in 1961 – and is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.
And thankfully, it not an expensive drug, costing around £5 in the UK.
Does it treat coronavirus?
Scientists at Oxford University believe the commonly available steroid can reduce the risk of dying by a third for the sickest of patients.
They revealed that their findings are the “biggest breakthrough” so far in the battle against coronavirus.
However, they claimed that if it had been available at the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 British deaths could have been prevented.
But it is now being rolled out to all high risk cases in the NHS.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said: “Because we spotted the early signs of the potential of dexamethasone, we’ve been stockpiling it since March.
“So we now have 200,000 courses ready to go and we’re working with the NHS so that the NHS-standard treatment for Covid-19 will include dexamethasone this afternoon.”
