Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza reiterated on Wednesday that the drug dexamethasone — which recently showed a significant reduction in the risk of death among severe Covid-19 cases — should only be taken by critically ill patients on the advice of doctors.

Speaking to Geo News on the show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, the PM's aide called the trial a "positive development".

"This is a well researched study by scientists from Oxford University and it has been welcomed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). So all in all it's good news.

"This isn't a new drug, it's been used since the 1960s. But for those listening, this drug should not be used for mild cases, asymptomatic cases or healthy individuals that want to avoid [contracting] Covid-19 because it can have side effects."

The PM's aide also lamented that the drug was already becoming scarce in the market. "That's dangerous for two reasons; it could mean that people are hoarding it or that they have started self-medicating, something which can be injurious to health."

Earlier today, Mirza had said that an expert team would consider including dexamethasone in the treatment of critical Covid-19 patients.

"It is an old & cheap anti-inflammatory medicine (steroid) & we have multiple producers in Pakistan," he said in a tweet. He, however, warned people against using it without prescription as it was only meant for critical patients.

WHO says steroid should be for serious cases only

Dexamethasone should be reserved for serious cases in which it has been shown to provide benefits, the WHO said on Wednesday.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said research was at last providing “green shoots of hope” in treating the virus, which has killed more than 400,000 people worldwide and infected more than 8 million.

Trial results announced on Tuesday by researchers in Britain showed dexamethasone, a generic drug used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, cut death rates by around a third among the most severely ill coronavirus patients admitted to hospital.

That makes it the first drug proved to save lives in fighting the disease. Countries are rushing to ensure that they have enough of it on hand, although medical officials say there is no shortage.

Some doctors were cautious, citing possible side effects and asking to see more data.

The head of the WHO's emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, said the drug should only be used in those serious cases where it has been shown to help.

“It is exceptionally important in this case, that the drug is reserved for use in severely ill and critical patients who can benefit from this drug clearly,” he told a briefing.