COVID-19 and progress in treatments so far; here’s experts view – CNBCTV18

More than 6 months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and over 160 days since India reported its first case, the health regulator has approved the first indigenous drug to treat the disease.

Itolizumab is an injectable that can be used only in hospitals and for moderate and severe cases. A single vial costs Rs 8,000 and the treatment will cost Rs 32,000. This is the fifth drug overall to get the green light and the fourth to receive authorisation for emergency use.

So, here is where we stand in treating the disease. Gilead's patented drug Remdesivir is the only drug so far to undergo well designed clinical trials. It is proven to shorten the recovery time but does not cut mortality more data is awaited.

A well-known, inexpensive steroid called Dexamethasone is the only known drug that cuts mortality as per the data currently available. Clinical trials are still ongoing by a study in the UK has shown that it reduces deaths in ICU patients by one-third.

Hydroxychloroquine, which emerged as one of the early drugs to treat the disease, has been hit by one controversy after another. Studies by the WHO have questioned its benefits. The US has revoked its emergency use authorisation and even India has removed the drug from the protocol to treat severe cases. It is currently used as a prophylactic and to treat mild cases.

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COVID-19 and progress in treatments so far; here's experts view - CNBCTV18