Higher vs lower doses of dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxia (COVID STEROID 2) trial: Protocol and statistical analysis plan.

"CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Anders Perner and the Department of Intensive Care at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, has received grants for other research projects from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Pfizer. The Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Bern University Hospital (Inselspital), has or has had research & development/consulting contracts with Edwards Lifesciences Services GmbH, Phagenesis Limited and Nestlé. The money was paid into a departmental fund, and none of the authors received any financial gain. The Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Bern University Hospital (Inselspital), has received unrestricted educational grants from the following organisations for organising bi‐annual postgraduate courses in the fields of critical care ultrasound, management of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and mechanical ventilation: Pierre Fabre Pharma AG (formerly known as RobaPharm), Pfizer AG, Bard Medica SA, Abbott AG, Anandic Medical Systems, PanGas AG Healthcare, Orion Pharma, Bracco, Edwards Lifesciences AG, Hamilton Medical AG, Fresenius Kabi (Switzerland) AG, Getinge Group Maquet AG, Dräger Schweiz AG, and Teleflex Medical GmbH. Balasubramanian Venkatesh has received institutional research support from Baxter. Thomas Benfield reports grants from Pfizer, grants from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, grants from Lundbeck Foundation, grants from Simonsen Foundation, grants and personal fees from GSK, grants and personal fees from Pfizer, personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, grants and personal fees from Gilead, personal fees from MSD, grants from Lundbeck Foundation, and grants from Kai Hansen Foundation outside the submitted work. Tine Sylvest Meyhoff is a co‐author of a Cochrane systematic review of supplemental perioperative corticosteroids for surgical patients with adrenal insufficiency (protocol stage). Charlotte Suppli Ulrik has received personal fees, grants and/or been on advisory boards for AstraZeneca, GSK, TEVA, Orion Pharma, Actelion, Boehringer Ingelheim, ALK‐Abello, Novartis and Mundipharma outside the present work. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare."

"Balasubramanian Venkatesh have received financial support from the Medical Research Future Fund Australia. FUNDING INFORMATION Rigshospitalet's Research Council, Grant/Award Number: E‐22703‐06; Novo Nordisk Fonden, Grant/Award Number: 0062998. The funding sources were not involved in the design or conduct of the COVID STEROID 2 trial."