Indians Frantically Search the Price & Availability of ‘Dexamethasone’ After It is Touted As the First Life-Saving Coronavirus Drug

Indians on Google frantically searched for the price of the drug, availability of the drug, dexamethasone's manufacturer, and dexamethasone brands

New Delhi: Amid frantic efforts by scientists across the world to come up with a Covid-19 vaccine, a small ray of hope shone on the world after a drug called dexamethasone showed promising results in a UK-led clinical trial. Hailed as a ‘breakthrough’ in the treatment of coronavirus, dexamethasone is a cheap and widely used steroid which can save the lives of people seriously ill with COVID-19

Having been available for decades, this low-cost drug named is also used to treat a range of conditions like asthma, eczema, allergies, arthritis etc.

According to researchers, Dexamethasone is the first drug that has shown a significant role in the improvement of the conditions of critically ill COVID-19 patients. As per reports, the drug reduces the death rate by a third for patients on ventilators and for those on oxygen, it cuts deaths by a fifth.

Most of the queries were from Arunachal Pradesh followed by Sikkim, Delhi, Goa and Nagaland

Meanwhile, many also speculated that the price of the life-saving drug might shoot up in the coming days because of the increased demand. Currently, the cost of the injection is below Rs 10 in India!

Dexamethasone one tab is Rs. 2 in market as per today. Let's us together notice the rise in price in coming days. My prediction is Rs. 200 in coming July.

— Syed Shujaat Ali (@Shujaatefied) June 17, 2020

Watch the price of Dexamethasone spike up…

— Classic Man. (@Anton_kay) June 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/nee_dles/status/1272953000777134080

The dexamethasone injection's price is less than 100 rupees in Pakistan right now, you'll see people selling it for 10,000 rupees in the near future. Also Oxford study says it can save one life out of eight patients. https://t.co/KsoLBAffri

— Hamayoon Abbasi. (@humihere) June 16, 2020

However, it is not advisable to take the steroid without a doctor’s prescription as it has many some side-effects too. It can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, anxiety, trouble falling asleep, high blood pressure etc.

Please do not buy Dexamethasone (a steroid) over the counter just because you feel you have COVID19 symptoms.
The side effects of steroid abuse and overdose are more varied and potentially more deadly than Hydroxychloroquine.
Why?
👇

— Makanaki (@DrLotenna) June 17, 2020