The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it's updating its guidelines on COVID-19 treatment to reflect the trial results of a common steroid in critical COVID-19 cases.
The preliminary results showed that dexamethasone reduced death rates by about one third for critically ill patients.
"This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
The agency said it will "coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention" and update the guidelines to "reflect how and when the drug should be used in COVID-19".
The drug has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis.
Yemen's Houthis enter Iran war, while US Marines arrive in region
Oman says no party has claimed responsibility for attacks on its territory
Anti-Trump 'No Kings' rallies pop up in thousands of US cities
Six killed after Israeli strikes hit two Gaza police checkpoints, medics say
Bahrain's aluminum producer confirms Iranian attack on facilities
Kuwait International Airport suffers 'significant damage' after drone attacks
Israeli strike kills three Lebanese journalists
Israeli military kills 15-year-old Palestinian in West Bank
