First drug for Covid in the community given green light
Oxford University researchers found that inhaled budesonide cuts illness time by three days in the most at-risk patients
Researchers noticed that people with asthma were under-represented in hospitalised Covid patients
Credit: Brian Lawless /PA
The first treatment for coronavirus in the community has been approved by the Department of Health after Oxford University found that a cheap asthma drug cuts illness times by three days.
There is currently no specific treatment for coronavirus, with patients usually being advised to take paracetamol to reduce their fever, or cough medicine.
However, Oxford University found that in the most at-risk patients, inhaled budesonide clears up the infection far more quickly and may even prevent hospitalisation and long Covid.
A study led by the University of Oxford found that 32 per cent of people suffering from Covid at home recovered within two weeks if given the inhaler, compared to 22 per cent of people not given it.
Corticosteroid Budesonide Shortens COVID-19 Recovery Time medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
An inhaled, widely available, asthma drug shortens recovery time in people with coronavirus who have not been admitted to hospital, a new study suggests.
British patients will be able to access the first ever at-home Covid-19 treatment after the NHS approved budesonide for use on a “case-by-case” basis among older adults in the community, which means that GPs will be able to prescribe it to their patients.
Researchers say the discovery is a “significant milestone” for the pandemic, and that the drug, budesonide, is effective as a treatment at home and during the early stages of the illness.
Early treatment with the medication shortens recovery time by a median average of three days in those with Covid-19 who are at higher risk of more severe illness and are treated in the community, according to the research.