Trial of ‘miracle drug’ that can reduce Covid deaths, says Times

Photographer: Luis Robayo / AFP / Getty Images

Researchers at the University of Oxford are planning a large-scale trial of a cheap drug that could help dramatically reduce Covid-19 deaths worldwide, according to a Times report.

The goal is to find treatments that can be used at home, right after the onset of symptoms, to catch the disease early and prevent serious illnesses.

That batch of drugs will include ivermectin, which for decades has been used to treat animals and people infested with parasitic worms, the newspaper reported. Supporters call it a “miracle drug”, but others say it has not been properly evaluated.

Although the drug has potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, “there is a data gap,” Chris Butler, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and co-head of the study, told the Times. “There was no really rigorous judgment.”

The World Health Organization recently suggested that it has encouraging effects, the newspaper said. The drug has been approved in the UK as a topical agent for skin infections and inflammations.