Kathmandu, June 18
Nepal’s National Health Research Council says it will also study the use of dexamethasone in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
The medicine has drawn worldwide attention after some British researchers claimed it saved the lives of a few critical patients recently. The World Health Organisation has also welcomed the results, maintaining additional research is needed to assess its impact at a larger scale.
Following that, Nepal will also study the drug, informs the NHRC Member-Secretary Dr Pradip Gyanwali. “But, there is not any serious case in Nepal so far. Once we have such cases, we will prepare a standard about its use,” he says.
Meanwhile, Nepali doctors involved in the Covid-19 patients’ treatment have said it is too early for them to be excited about the recent developments.
Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers. The WHO says it has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.
