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Ivermectin. Why are we not using it?

This post is in research. It is a lengthy review of Ivermectin. This research will not be complete for several days. Go to other posts in the meantime or watch as we go through the process.

Summary

  1. WARNING! Do not take Ivermectin without a doctor's consultation and approval.

  2. There are clinical trials being conducted by the FDA so it is NOT APPROVED YET

  3. For the SARS-CoV-2 virus to make you sick, it has to first infect your cells.

  4. Then while inside the cell, the virus makes multiple copies of itself, so it can spread around your body.

  5. The virus also has ways of reducing the way your body fights the infection.

  6. During the infection of the cell, some viral proteins go into the cell nucleus, and from here they can decrease the body’s ability to fight the virus, which means the infection can get worse.

  7. To get into the nucleus, the viral proteins need to bind a cargo transporter which lets them in.

  8. Ivermectin may block the cargo transporter, so the viral proteins would not be able to get into the nucleus. This is how some scientists think Ivermectin may work against SARS-CoV-2 virus.

  9. By taking Ivermectin, it is thought that the body can fight the infection like normal, because its antiviral response will not have been reduced by the viral proteins.
So it is promising but not a recognised solution yet by the FDA.

What does the Ministry of Health say about Ivermectin?

From: https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/caution-about-laboratory-covid-19-report

News article: 08 April 2020

The Ministry of Health is aware of a media report describing a laboratory study that shows Ivermectin, a macrocyclic lactone medicine used to treat parasitic infections as being an effective treatment for COVID-19.

The study being reported is based on lab tests being conducted in petri dishes and the results are achieved using a very high dose of the drug that has not been tested on people. There is no evidence that the compound has any efficacy against Covid-19 in humans.

The Ministry of Health strongly recommends that the public do not buy and treat themselves with Ivermectin for Covid-19.

When ingested in high doses, Ivermectin can have a serious effect on humans, with symptoms including low blood pressure, worsening asthma, severe autoimmune disorders, seizures and liver damage.


OK I can accept this for the review in 04/2020 but we are now 20 months on from this report.

I can also identify with the side effects. Let's look at its medical profile:

https://www.drugs.com/ivermectin.html

What is ivermectin?

Ivermectin is an anti-parasite medication used to treat parasitic diseases.

Ivermectin is an FDA approved drug for use in humans to treat a variety of parasitic infections including parasitic worms, hookworm and whipworm. It may also be used as an effective treatment for a wide range of other conditions and as a treatment of onchocerciasis, intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis or river blindness.

The antiviral activity of Ivermectin has been shown against a wide range of RNA and DNA viruses, for example, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and others.

Ivermectin and Covid-19 Treatment

Ivermectin is currently being investigated in a clinical trial as a potential COVID-19 treatment for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Virus, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. The FDA has not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 infection in humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend not to use ivermectin in patients with COVID-19 to reduce viral replication, except in clinical trials.

Experimental studies for ivermectin as an adjunct treatment for antiviral effects of hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients: a randomised multi-centre clinical trial. There is currently insufficient evidence from the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin in Covid-19 patients for the treatment of severe or mild COVID-19 symptoms.

Click for further information on using ivermectin to treat COVID-19 and other prevention and investigational treatments and discuss with your health care provider.

The CDC are reporting adverse effects associated with ivermectin misuse and overdoses are increasing. In some cases people have taken veterinary products intended for use in large animals such as horses, sheep, and cattle. These products are highly concentrated and result in overdoses when used by humans. DO NOT TAKE IVERMECTIN PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR ANIMAL USE.

Can Ivermectin be used to treat Covid-19?

https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/ivermectin-treat-covid-19-coronavirus-3535912/

Reported to 01/12/2021 Summary from the above link. For full details please read the above link.

  1. Ivermectin tablets are currently a FDA approved medicine for treatment of intestinal parasitic worms, parasitic diseases, Strongyloides stercoralis and Onchocerca volvulus.

  2. Recently, ivermectin has also been studied to treat a range of viruses.

  3. Clinical trials have been conducted on people to test how well ivermectin works against COVID-19. Currently there is a low level of certainty whether ivermectin helps treat COVID-19, and more studies are needed.

  4. Invermectin has been established as safe for use in humans, but only at the recommended dosage level.

Ivermectin is not FDA approved to treat COVID-19.

IVERCOR-COVID-19 trial

The IVERCOR-COVID-19 trial was a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial involving 501 patients. The aim of this trial was to determine whether ivermectin treatment could prevent hospitalization of individuals with early COVID-19. One group was treated with ivermectin plus standard treatment and the other group was treated with placebo with standard treatment. Patients were not allowed to take hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine or antiviral drugs.

The results of this trial, published on 2 July 2021 showed that:

  1. The percentage of patients that needed hospitalization was 5.6% in the ivermectin treatment group and 8.4% in the placebo group, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.
  2. There was no statistically significant difference in median time from patient enrollment to hospitalization between the treatment groups. 
  3. The ivermectin treatment group median time to hospitalization was 3.5 days and placebo group 3 days.
  4. There was no statistically significant difference in mean time from study enrolment until a patient was put on invasive mechanical ventilatory support (MVS). 
  5. The ivermectin treatment group was 5.25 days compared to the placebo group which was 10 days.
  6. The limitations in this study was noted as a:
    1. low percentage of hospitalized patients
    2. the population sample contained a middle age population that had hospitalization events below the set 10%
    3. Ivermectin blood levels were not measured so it is unknown if a therapeutic level was reached or exceeded
    4. there was no measure of severity of COVID-19 illness.

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