WHO advises against using Ivermectin for COVID-19 prevention citing 'lack of safety data'

With several states prescribing free usage of the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients, World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan on Tuesday, said that the WHO recommends against its usage, except within clinical trials. Sharing the warning of US pharma giant MERCK on 'Ivermectin', she pointed out that the drug has a 'concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies'. Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are among the states which have readily prescribed distributing the drug among all its citizens amid COVID surge.

Ivermectin: WHO advises against usage

Merck in its statement warned against using Ivermectin:

• No scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies; 
• No meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and; 
• A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.

5 states freely prescribe Ivermectin

On May 12, Uttar Pradesh government claimed that it has introduced large-scale “prophylactic and therapeutic” use of Ivermectin to maintain a lower fatality and positivity rate, as per reports. The state Health Department introduced Ivermectin as prophylaxis for close contacts of Covid patients, health workers as well as for the treatment since May-June 2020. The govt stated that in May 2020 after administering Ivermectin to all RRT team members in Agra, it was observed that none of them developed Covid-19 despite being in daily contact with patients who had tested positive.

Recently, Goa announced that all people above 18 years will be given Ivermectin drug irrespective of their coronavirus status to bring down mortality. He said patients will be given Ivermectin 12 mg for a period of five days as expert panels from the UK, Italy, Spain and Japan have found a statistically significant reduction in mortality, time to recovery and viral clearance in COVID-19 patients treated with this medicine. Similarly, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments too have said that they will be distributing Ivermectin among the residents of the state as preventive medicine against the spread of Covid-19.

What is Ivermectin?

Ivermectin is an anti-parasite drug and it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The medicine is used as a prescription medication to treat certain parasitic roundworm infections and it is usually used for patients with intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis. The drug is available in tablet form as well as for topical application, depending on the disease. According to research published in May-June last year, scientists reviewed the available data on ivermectin taken from clinical, in vitro, animal and real-world studies and reported that ivermectin significantly reduced the risk of contracting COVID-19 when used regularly. However, another systemic review in November last year concluded that there is “weak evidence” of Ivermectin’s benefit when used as add-on therapy in non-severe Covid-19 cases.

(Disclaimer: The content provided above is in no way intended a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, especially related to COVID-19.)