Is Ivermectin, an anti-deworming drug, considered a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 now?

SANTO ANTÓNIO – – You may have seen posts about the drug Ivermectin on social media. It was also a topic mentioned during a Senate committee hearing.

There is a question circulating throughout the country: is the Ivermectin worms medicine safe and effective to be used as a treatment for COVID-19?

We analyzed the issue through our KSAT Confidence Index, where our teams consult doctors, researchers and experts on topics discussed like this.

“It is a dewormer, so in pets it is used a lot. We don’t have as many worm infections in the United States, but when people travel to places with few resources, it is also approved for the treatment of worms in people, ”said Dr. Jason Bowling, an epidemiologist at University Hospital who also works with UT Health San Antonio.

Ivermectin is one of the drugs that responded positively in laboratories earlier this year for the treatment of SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

However, testing on humans has only just begun and the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration specifically state that it has not yet been approved or safe for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

“I agree with the NIH’s recommendation that this should be done in a test where they are closely monitoring,” said Bowling.

Bowling called promising ivermectin, but is concerned that doctors are prescribing it off the label, or that some people are even taking prescription drugs for pets.

“The problem is that if you take the level of ivermectin that they use in these plates in the lab, it’s 10 times the approved dose for people,” he said. “Ivermectin is generally well tolerated, but when people have an inflammatory state like you would have with COVID infection, it can cause neurotoxicity, side effects on the central nervous system. Therefore, you will not reach the levels they reached in the laboratory without worrying about side effects anymore ”.

Dr. Bowling said that without finishing the current clinical trials specific to COVID-19, there is no way to determine safe doses, possible side effects and, of course, effectiveness.

For this reason, combined with the lack of FDA approval or emergency use authorization, the statement that ‘Ivermectin is considered a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 now’ is being labeled as Not True in our Confidence Index KSAT.

If you have a photo, video, post or claim that you want us to verify, submit it to the KSAT Trust Index website.