CTRI/2020/12/029894.

Study name	Comparing the effectiveness of dexamethasone versus methylprednisolone in patients with moderate COVID 19 ‐ a randomised controlled trial
Methods	Trial design: open‐label, RCT Sample size: 50 Setting: inpatient Language: English Number of centres: 1 Type of intervention (treatment/prevention): treatment
Participants	Inclusion criteria Hospitalised patients with moderate SARS‐COV‐2 infection laboratory confirmed by RT‐PCR (moderate COVID‐19: SPO2 < 94% under room air and requiring supplemental oxygen for hypoxaemia, respiratory rate 24 to 30/min, NLR > 5, CRP 50 to 100 mg/L, serum ferritin 600 to 1500 ng/mL, serum LDH 300 to 500 IU/L, D Dimer 0.5 to 1.0 mic/mL, IL‐6 20 to 100 pg/mL, CT chest showing 25% to 75% infiltrates) Exclusion criteria Patients with mild and severe COVID pneumonia Patients who are already on steroid treatment for any underlying condition Patients already started on antivirals Pregnant or lactating women Any known contraindication to short‐term corticosteroid like severe immunosuppression, HIV infection or any other immunosuppressant usage
Interventions	Details of intervention: dexamethasone Dose: 6 mg/8 mg, 7 days Route of administration: IV Treatment details of control group (e.g. dose, route of administration): methylprednisolone 32 mg/60 mg intravenous, 6 days Concomitant therapy: no
Outcomes	Primary outcome: mortality during hospital stay (day 1 to day 7)
Starting date	No information
Contact information	DR R Nivetha, Department of General Medicine 1st floor SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre SRM University Potheri Kattankulathur, India Email: nivethamdr@gmail.com
Notes	Recruitment status: not yet recruiting Prospective completion date: estimated duration 6 months Date last update was posted: no information Sponsor/funding: SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre