Airedale Hospital 'proud' to be part of life-saving Covid-19 drug breakthrough

Scientists say it's the first drug to reduce deaths from coronavirus Credit: ITV Yorkshire

Airedale General Hospital has said it is "proud" to have participated in a trial which has seen a major breakthrough in the fight against coronavirus.

The trial, led by Oxford University, has found the cheap and widely available drug dexamethasone can improve the survival rate of hospitalised patients with severe respiratory problems.

The study suggests it is the first drug to reduce deaths from coronavirus.

Scientists say it's the first drug to reduce deaths from coronavirus Credit: PA

Airedale NHS Fountation Trust, which is based in Steeton with Eastburn in West Yorkshire, thanked its clinical research team and patients for taking part in the trials.

Posting to Twitter, the hospital said:

As part of the Oxford University study, researchers found that the drug reduced deaths by up to a third for patients on ventilators, and by a fifth for those on oxygen.

It has been immediately approved to treat all UK Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital and requiring oxygen, including those on ventilators.

Scientists estimate that if they the drug had been used at the start of the pandemic, 4,000 to 5,000 lives could have been saved in the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has praised all of those who have taken part in the trials.