Study: ‘No Indication’ Ivermectin Is ‘Clinically Useful’ Against Coronavirus

Researchers found there is “no indication” that ivermectin is “clinically useful” as a treatment for coronavirus in a trial of 1,358 adults, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Dr. Edward Mills of Canada’s McMaster University conducted the largest ivermectin trial with his colleagues and concluded, “There was no indication that ivermectin is clinically useful.”

Mills’ team looked at nearly 1,400 positive coronavirus patients at risk of having severe cases due to underlying conditions such as diabetes or hypertension. To determine the drug’s effectiveness in treating coronavirus, half of the patients took ivermectin pills, while the other half received a placebo. Research monitored whether the patients were hospitalized within 28 days, whether they were in the hospital or on ventilators for less time, how quickly the virus left their bodies, how quickly symptoms resolved, and the difference in death rates.

The Wall Street Journal reported:

To make sure they were being thorough, the researchers analyzed the data in three different ways. They looked at data from all patients; then analyzed data from patients who received ivermectin or a placebo 24 hours before they were hospitalized; and in a third review, looked at data from patients who said they had adhered strictly to their dosing schedule. In each scenario, they found ivermectin didn’t improve patient outcomes.

Ivermectin was thrown into the spotlight after podcast host Joe Rogan said he used the drug to treat himself after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The drug was thought to be effective against the coronavirus due to its antiviral properties. A few months into the pandemic, Australian researchers published a paper showing ivermectin could kill the coronavirus within 48 hours when taken in large amounts. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration never approved ivermectin for use against the coronavirus or any other viral infections.

“This is the first large, prospective study that should really help put to rest ivermectin and not give any credibility to the use of it for Covid-19,” Baylor College’s National School of Tropical Medicine dean Peter Hotez told the Journal.

Dr. Mills recognized, as many other doctors have, that ivermectin could be beneficial in treating positive coronavirus patients who are also battling parasitic worms. New York hematologist Dr. Avi Bitterman noticed “that the studies that looked best for ivermectin tended to cluster in regions with high rates of infections by strongyloides, a parasitic worm.”

“Dr. Mills said ivermectin could improve outcomes in Covid-19 patients who are fighting off certain parasitic diseases at the same time,” according to the Wall Street Journal.