False: Dexamethasone is being overused.

Multiple healthcare authorities disagree with Dr. Robert Malone's assertion. Dexamethasone is widely recommended for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.In an interview with the far-right outlet, the Epoch Times, the scientist Dr. Robert Malone criticized various medicines used to treat COVID-19. Of the anti-inflammatory corticosteroid, dexamethasone, Malone said: "The utility of dexamethasone is very limited [...] it appears that in the States, Dexamethasone is being overused. This is often the case when Dexamethasone is often a first-line go-to when you have a new inflammatory disease." According to Nature, dexamethasone was the first drug found to save lives, adding that the "inexpensive and commonly used steroid can save the lives of people seriously ill with COVID-19." Citing the Oxford University RECOVERY trial, Nature reported that dexamethasone "cut deaths by about one-third in patients who were on ventilators because of coronavirus infection." In September 2020, the European Medical Agency endorsed dexamethasone for COVID-19 patients on oxygen or mechanical ventilation. In the U.S., the National Institute for Health Research also has recommended dexamethasone for COVID-19 patients on oxygen or mechanical ventilation. Similarly, in the U.K., the MHRA has said that clinicians should consider dexamethasone for the management of hospitalized COVID-19 patients who require oxygen or ventilation. We could not find evidence of dexamethasone being administered when it is not needed, or of evidence of the drug being "overused." As multiple leading healthcare authorities disagree with Dr. Robert Malone's assertion about the utility of dexamethasone, this claim is false. Update: The original claim for this fact check was: "The use of dexamethasone is very limited." We have since edited the claim of this fact check to provide a better context for Malone's view on dexamethasone. The judgment remains false. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.