First, Large High-Quality Trial for ‘Wonder Drug’ Ivermectin Could Dramatically Reduce COVID-19 Deaths

A new trial will assess Ivermectin, a medicine traditionally used on livestock and to treat people with parasitic infestations, that has been hailed by some as a “wonder drug” with the potential to save the lives of thousands of COVID-19 patients.

Researchers from the University of Oxford (Oxford, UK) are planning the first, large high-quality trial of the antiparasitic drug Ivermectin, according to a report by The Times. The study will be a part of the UK-wide Platform Randomized trial of INterventions against COVID-19 In older people (PRINCIPLE) trial which is seeking at-home treatments that could be taken immediately after symptoms of COVID-19 appear. The trial aims to find a medicine that would be effective during the earliest stages of the disease in preventing severe illness.

Ivermectin has been shown to reduce SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro (in cell lines), albeit at concentrations that exceed those recommended for human use. This, together with preliminary results from a trial in humans that used data of dubious origin and was never peer-reviewed, prompted the use of Ivermectin in many Latin-American countries despite the lack of reliable evidence on its efficacy in treating or preventing infection. Recently, a small pilot study had suggested that early administration of Ivermectin can reduce viral loads and symptom duration in patients with mild COVID-19, which in turn could help reduce viral transmission. However, scientists believe that the drug is yet to be properly evaluated.

The trial involving people aged 65 years and over, or those aged over 50 years who have underlying health conditions, aims to find out if Ivermectin can prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from taking hold within its host. If the trial is successful, the cheap antiparasitic drug would allow for the treatment of COVID-19 patients at an early stage before they become seriously ill.

“It has potential antiviral properties and anti-inflammatory properties and there have been quite a few smaller trials conducted in low and middle-income countries, showing that it speeds recovery, reduces inflammation and reduces hospitalization,” Chris Butler, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and a co-chief of the Principle trial, told The Times. “But there’s a gap in the data. There’s not been a really rigorous trial.”

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