Corticosteroid drugs offered consistent health benefits, including lowering mortality rates, in those who are seriously ill with COVID-19, a meta-analysis of several scientific studies involving 1,700 patients found.

The new study backs previous evidence that these inexpensive medications show promise in treating COVID-19.

In June, a British study found that dexamethasone, a synthetic steroid that's been around for about 60 years, cut the risk of dying by a third for patients on ventilators and a fifth for those on oxygen.

According to Axios, the inexpensive drug showed no benefit for mild cases of the coronavirus. However, one of the advantages dexamethasone has over other drugs that are being studied, such as remdesivir, is that its efficacy and safety have already been established.

And then there’s the cost. According to Axios, dexamethasone casts about 50 cents per tablet while market analysts predict Gilead may put a $5,000 price tag on each course of remdesivir.

According to The Wall Street Journal, anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids help rein in overactive immune systems that can wreak havoc in seriously ill patents. The meta-analysis, which looked at data from seven studies conducted between February and June, found consistent benefits using steroids like dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, and methylprednisone.

"To me this feels like one of the first unambiguous wins in trying to combat COVID-19," said Derek C. Angus of the University of Pittsburgh, who was the co-author of the study published in JAMA. He added that study results indicated that steroids have shown to have benefits in very ill COVID-19 patients and not in its earliest stages.

The British study this summer prompted the National Institutes of Health to update its guidelines and recommend the use of dexamethasone or similar steroids for patients on ventilators. While the world waits for more sophisticated — and pricier — treatments such as immune-blocking drugs like IL-6 to pass clinical trials, Dr. Angus said those drugs are a "Lamborghini solution," according to the Journal.

Cheaper steroid drugs are "a Model T Ford or a pickup truck solution that appears to be working," he said.