Coronavirus survivor reveals how 'miracle' 50p-a-day drug dexamethasone 'saved his life' - as NHS approves the steroid dubbed 'biggest breakthrough yet' following trial that found it 'reduced risk of dying by up to 35%' in ventilated patients
- Peter Herring, 69, from Ely in Cambridgeshire, was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in late April with Covid
- He volunteered to take part in a new drug's trial and was offered dexamethasone which is a cheap steroid
- Dexamethasone becomes first drug proven to increase the survival rate for hospitalised Covid-19 patients
- Study leader Professor Peter Horby, from Oxford, said a life could be saved with every eight patients
- Scientists hailed finding as 'biggest breakthrough in search for Covid therapy' after mixed results from others
A former coronavirus patient who was treated with a drug which was hailed by the Prime Minister today as the 'biggest breakthrough yet' in the UK's coronavirus fight has said the experimental medicine 'saved his life'.
Peter Herring, 69, from Ely in Cambridgeshire, was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in late April after the deadly virus infiltrated his lungs and was placed on oxygen support within hours of his arrival.
As his health deteriorated and he became gravely ill, the former John Lewis manager volunteered to take part in a new drug's trial and was offered dexamethasone, a cheap steroid that has been around for decades, in an effort to save his life.
Praising the experimental treatment Mr Herring, who was 24 hours away from being placed on a ventilator, told The Sun: 'When I went into hospital, my breathing was pretty bad and the doctors put me on oxygen.
'I was quite worried, as I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, and had bowel cancer 15 years ago, so I was high risk.
Peter Herring (pictured), 69, was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridgeshire late April after the deadly virus infiltrated his lungs
The former John Lewis manager, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, was placed on oxygen support before he volunteered to take part in a new drug's trial
In the biggest coronavirus breakthrough to date, dexamethasone was found to reduce the risk of dying by coronavirus by up to a third
'The team said I was 24-hours away from being placed on ventilation, and nobody wants that.
'The treatment saved my life. I can't say for certain, but my breathing was getting worse and then I turned the corner.
'Five days later I was out of intensive care and just over a week after I went in, I was back at home.
'I am feeling absolutely wonderful now. I have bounced back and am full of energy.
'I cannot thank the team at Addenbrooke's Hospital [pls keep] enough. The standard of care was second to none.
'I feel incredibly lucky I was given dexamethasone. I am pretty certain that it made a difference to my outcome.
'I am over the moon that they are now rolling out use of the drug across the country'
Mr Herring's incredible recovery comes as Boris Johnson today praised the drug that scientists found could save up to a third of critically-ill Covid-19 patients and has become the first medicine proven to reduce the death rate among hospitalised patients.
An Oxford University scientist who led a British trial of the drug, Professor Peter Horby, said at today's Downing Street briefing that treating eight people with the drug could save one life and cost just £40 in total.
It could save up to 35 per cent of patients relying on ventilators - the most dangerously ill - and reduce the odds of death by a fifth for all patients needing oxygen at any point.Mr Johnson said at today's press conference: 'I'm absolutely delighted that the biggest breakthrough yet has been made by a fantastic team of scientists right here in the UK... I think there is genuine cause to celebrate a remarkable British scientific achievement [and] the benefits it will bring not just in this country but around the world.'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier described the results — which prompted officials to instantly approve the drug for NHS patients — as 'astounding'. He claimed it will help to 'save thousands of lives while we deal with this terrible virus'.
England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty called it the 'most important trial result' so far, while Number 10's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said it was 'tremendous news' and added: 'This is a drug that can be used immediately across the world.'
Dexamethasone, first created in the 1950s, is usually given to treat ulcerative colitis, arthritis and some types of cancer. It is already licensed and proven to be safe, meaning it can be used in human patients immediately, and is a generic drug, meaning it can be manufactured cheaply and en masse by companies all over the world.
Results of the RECOVERY trial, which involved 6,000 Covid-19 patients and was led by Oxford University scientists, suggest the steroid can prevent death in one in eight ventilated coronavirus patients and one in 25 on breathing support. It is the first trial to show a treatment provides significant impact in reducing the risk of death.
But the drug — given as either an injection or once-a-day tablet on the NHS — had no benefit for people who were hospitalised with the virus but did not require oxygen.
Dexamethasone is now the second drug available in the NHS arsenal to treat Covid-19, after Ebola medicine remdesivir was last month given the green light in another scientific breakthrough.
Health chiefs said they imposed a ban at midnight last night to prevent companies from exporting the drug to other countries, in order to protect the UK's supply. They have already stockpiled 200,000 courses of the drug for British patients, after buying it ahead of the results of the trial.
Britain is the first country to approve dexamethasone for Covid-19 patients, the Department of Health said, although clinical trials of the drug are ongoing in other countries including France, Iran, Spain and Argentina. If other countries approve the drug for patients most will be able to obtain their own supplies from domestic firms.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosted today's Downing Street press conference where he hailed the approval of dexamethasone as the 'biggest breakthrough so far' in Britain's coronavirus battle
England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty described it as the 'most important trial result' so far, and the chief scientist Sir Patrick Vallance said it was 'tremendous news in the fight against this virus'
Professor Martin Landray, lead researcher, said dexamethasone could have saved up to 5,000 lives if it was used throughout the UK's crisis. He said: 'If you were to design a drug that treats coronavirus, this would be exactly how you'd hope it works.'
The steroid prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation, a nasty Covid-19 complication that makes breathing difficult. In seriously unwell patients, the lungs become so inflamed they struggle to work.
In other coronavirus developments in Britain today:
- Two women travelling to New Zealand to visit a dying parent tested positive for Covid-19, ending the country's 24-day spell of no new cases;
- Lord Hague called lockdown a 'national disaster' and demanded an immediate end to the two-metre rule as data showed a 600,000 dive in payroll workers and 125 per cent increase in benefit claims;
- Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall returned to work in their first public outing since the beginning of lockdown, making an unannounced visit to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital this afternoon;
- Swimmers will be asked to arrive to pools with their costumes under their clothes and to avoid the butterfly stroke under new guidelines from the sport's governing body;
- China has put parts of Beijing back into lockdown and reimposed some travel restrictions in an attempt to contain a new coronavirus outbreak amid fears that a second wave is about to hit the country.
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