RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A study, not yet peer-reviewed, conducted by researchers from 12 countries, suggests that the antiparasitic drug could play an important role in reducing Covid-19 deaths.
The group conducted a study known as meta-analysis, which consists of a review of scientific articles already published on the subject worldwide. It included 18 clinical trials involving 2,282 patients.
The finding was that Ivermectin “was associated with the reduction of inflammation markers and faster viral elimination detected in the PCR test.”
Also according to the researchers, in six studies involving moderate or severe cases of covid-19, there was a 75% reduction in mortality in patients taking Ivermectin.
The conclusions were published on January 19th on the Research Square platform and still require peer-review for scientific relevance.
The authors themselves report that “many studies that were included [in the meta-analysis] have not yet been published or peer-reviewed,” which renders the study “subject to confusing questions”.
“Furthermore, there was a large variation in treatment patterns between trials, and the dose of Ivermectin and duration of treatment were varied. Ivermectin must be validated in appropriately controlled randomized trials before findings are sufficient for a review by regulatory authorities.”
The British newspaper Financial Times, which also reported on the study, points out that the only antiviral with any kind of approval to treat Covid-19 is Remdesivir.
The drug, an antiviral used to treat former U.S. President Donald Trump when he had the disease, has shown benefits in reducing the likelihood of hospitalization, but no effect on reducing the risk of mortality or viral load – the amount of virus circulating in the bloodstream.
Ivermectin is not an antiviral, but the results suggest that the drug may have antiviral properties. The researchers point out that the results are “encouraging”, but more studies are needed to provide robust evidence to justify its approval for the treatment of Covid-19.
“It is a drug used worldwide. The drug substance costs 12 cents. The medicine costs US$3 in India and US$960 in the United States,” said Andrew Hill – one of the researchers in the study – to the Financial Times.
He added that by reducing the viral load, Invermectin may reduce the risk of infection, as well as transmitting the disease. “If people testing positive for Covid-19 are treated immediately with a drug that eliminates the virus quickly, it may make them less infectious,” he told the newspaper. “This ‘treatment as prevention’ strategy works for HIV and should now be tested for Covid-19,” he concluded.