WHO warns against use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment
The World Health Organization on Tuesday recommended against the general use of ‘ivermectin’ – an orally-administered drug used to treat parasitic infections – for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication. WHO recommends against use of ‘ivermectin’ for COVID-19 except within clinical trials,” Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the global health body’s chief scientist, tweeted.
A similar warning has also been issued by ‘ivermectin’ manufacturer MSD, or Merck & Co., Inc, whose statement Dr Swaminathan attached to her tweet. Merck said its scientists continue to “carefully examine findings of all available and emerging studies of ‘ivermectin’ for treatment of COVID-19”
WHO Warns Against Use Of Ivermectin For COVID-19 Treatment The WHO s warning against ivermectin - the second in two months - comes a day after Goa approved its use as preventive treatment for all adults with COVID-19
Updated: May 11, 2021 2:04 pm IST Ivermectin is an orally given drug used - in specific doses - to treat parasitic infections (File)
New Delhi:
The World Health Organization on Tuesday recommended against the general use of ivermectin - an orally-administered drug used to treat parasitic infections - for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication. WHO recommends against use of ivermectin for COVID-19 except within clinical trials, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the global health body s chief scientist, tweeted.
Ivermectin is an oral drug that is used as a prescription medication to treat parasitic infections.
New Delhi:
Regular use of the oral antiparasitic drug ivermectin may significantly reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, according to a review of available data by researchers who claim the medicine can help end the pandemic.
The research, published in the May-June issue of the American Journal of Therapeutics, is the most comprehensive review of the available data on ivermectin taken from clinical, in vitro, animal, and real-world studies, its authors said. We conducted the most comprehensive review of the available data on ivermectin, said Pierre Kory, president and chief medical officer of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a group of medical and scientific experts, which led the study.
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With no fixed therapeutic regimen to treat COVID-19, the stand on drugs recommended for the treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 infection has witnessed see-sawing since 2020. Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that it does not recommend the use of Ivermectin, a commonly prescribed and inexpensive anti-parasitic drug, for the treatment of the viral disease.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at WHO, tweeted on Tuesday, stating that the international health body recommended against the use of Ivermectin for treating COVID-19 patients (with the exception of clinical trials). The tweet comes at a time when several countries, and also many states in India, have approved the use of the drug for treating the respiratory illness.