Ivermectin is a drug used to treat parasites such as animal intestinal parasites and human scabies. The drug is inexpensive and widely used in parasitic infection prone areas around the world. It has no adverse reactions.
Laboratory tests have shown that ivermectin can slow down the replication of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which requires a large dose in the human body to achieve this effect. There is no medical regulatory authority approved for the use of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19. This drug can only be used in well-designed studies (known as randomized controlled clinical trials) to evaluate its potential efficacy.
purpose
Ivermectin has a high therapeutic effect on sheep scabies. At the same time, it can also fight against the larvae of sheep scab mites, sheep lice flies, and sheep flies, as well as most nematodes and pulmonary parasites in the gastrointestinal tract, and can control myiasis caused by the excrement of green headed flies. When used on sheep scabies, the most commonly used dosage form is the long-acting ivermectin controlled release capsule.
Related research
Ivermectin has antiviral effects on several positive single stranded RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, in vitro. Subsequent studies have found that the semi inhibitory concentration of this drug on SARS-CoV-2 in monkey kidney cells is 2.2-2.8 μ M. The dose required for ivermectin to achieve antiviral effects in the human body is much higher than the highest approved dose for human use and also exceeds the safe achievable dose. This drug inhibits input proteins α/β The nuclear transport of 1 achieves antiviral effects and is toxic to the host at the aforementioned doses. Therefore, there is currently a lack of reason to conduct clinical testing of this drug COVID-19.
Many people have been hospitalized due to taking Ivermectin concentrate for horse use; Excessive medication has also led to death cases; The possible cause of death is the interaction between ivermectin and other drugs as of June 2021. To address the uncertainties of existing small-scale, low-quality research, large-scale clinical studies have been conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Many scholars have significant methodological flaws in the study of the use of this drug in COVID-19, resulting in a low level of evidence. Numerous organizations have publicly stated that the evidence for the effectiveness of this drug in treating COVID-19 is weak. In February 2021, Merck, the research and development manufacturer of this drug, issued a statement stating that there is currently no appropriate evidence of its effectiveness against COVID-19, and the use of this drug for this purpose is also quite dangerous. The National Institutes of Health COVID-19 treatment guidelines state that the evidence for this drug is extremely limited and no recommendations can be made. The National COVID-19 Treatment Advisory Committee in the UK has determined that the evidence and feasibility of using this drug for COVID-19 treatment are insufficient for further investigation.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved this drug for the treatment of any viral diseases in the United States, nor has it been approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in Europe. After reviewing the evidence related to this drug, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) stated that the current data does not support the use of this drug outside well-designed clinical trials. In March 2021, both the FDA and EMA issued guidelines stating that this drug should not be used for the treatment of COVID-19. The World Health Organization also stated that this drug should not be used in clinical trials