Boris Johnson praised two arthritis drugs that researchers claim to be very effective in severe COVID-19 patients. They also stated that new medicines could reduce death cases by up to 24%.
Observation of the gel that assesses the purity of the antigens produced in the laboratory on March 24, 2020 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Ministry of Health convened The Technological Vaccine Center of the Federal University of Minas Gerais laboratory to conduct research on the coronavirus (COVID-19) in order to diagnose, test and develop a vaccine. According to the Ministry of Health, as of Tuesday, March 24, Brazil has 1.891 confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and at least 34 recorded deceases.
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Bloomberg reported that the United Kingdom confirmed that it would start using Roche Holding AG arthritis drug to cure COVID-19 patients that are suffering from extreme symptoms.
On the other hand, the country's prime minister confirmed that the anti-inflammatory drugs sarilumab and tocilizumab would be available through the NHS.
When will the arthritis be available?
The scientists claimed that the two drugs would have an immediate effect and could save thousands of lives once they are implemented.
"I'm pleased to tell you today British scientific research has now contributed to the creation of more new life-saving treatments that have just passed rigorous clinical trials," said Johnson via The Daily Mail UK.
Medical staff, wearing protective gear, move a patient infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) from an ambulance to a hospital on March 09, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. The South Korean government has raised the coronavirus alert to the "highest level" as confirmed case numbers continue to rise across the country. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69 new cases were reported on Monday, with the death toll rising to 53. The total number of infections in the nation tallies at 7,382, the highest outside of China.
He added that the two drugs would soon be available to everyone since the researchers found out they can decrease the time spent in intensive care by as much as ten days.The prime minister also said that medicines could reduce critical ill patients' death risks.
"These life-saving drugs will be available through the NHS with immediate effect, potentially saving thousands of lives," he added.
On the other hand, the researchers also discovered that the two new drugs are useful for patients who are taking dexamethasone. This medicine is a steroid that the British scientists discovered to reduce the most severe COVID-19 patients' death risks over summer.
Can the new study shed light during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The British politician Matt Hancock said that the new study is another breakthrough during the ongoing global pandemic. The discovery could really be helpful, especially since there are new strains of the novel coronavirus that are now spreading across many countries, including Singapore, China, and more.
REMAP-CAP trial is the one that released the new study's results, which involved 3,900 people with severe COVID-19 symptoms in 15 countries. The drugs will be marketed under the brand names Kevzara and Actemra. They are expected to be administered via an intravenous drip for an hour.
The new study revealed that those who took the two new drugs dropped their death rate by 25.3%. On the other hand, the patients who only received dexamethasone had a death rate of 35.8%.
For more news updates about new COVID-19 drugs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
