Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 29: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that the Tocilizumab drug prevents Covid-19 patients from dying while impressing on the Govt to ensure its availability.
In a statement issued here, the DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan said that the drug saves lives and reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19 disease.
“The study also showed that the drug shortens the hospital stay and reduces the need for a mechanical ventilator,” he said.
Dr Nisar said that we have been able to save the lives of many Covid-19 patients in Kashmir hospitals with the early institution of the drug. “But, now the drug has run out of stock in valley hospitals putting lives of patients at risk,” he said.
Urging the government to make the life-saving drug available for Covid-19 patients, Dr Hassan said we must ensure that every patient who needs the drug should be able to access it.
“Originally developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, the drug combats the disease by quelling cytokine storm which is the hyper-immune response of the infected person to the virus,” he said.
He said that the mortality in Covid-19 patients has been linked to the presence of the cytokine storm induced by the virus, and the excessive production of cytokines leads to respiratory failure and widespread tissue damage resulting in multiorgan failure and death.”
The DAK President said it is vitally important to know that there is no single magic bullet to treat the novel coronavirus and several drugs in combination are needed to tackle the virus.
He said that apart from oxygen, moderate to severe patients are given steroids, remdesivir, convalescent plasma and Tocilizumab in various combinations.
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