Ivermectin

2020

FDA: why should not use ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19

In some cases, it may be very dangerous to use a drug to prevent or treat COVID-19 that has not been approved or approved for emergency use.

By October 2021, the FDA had received several reports of patients requiring medical care, including hospitalization, after self-medication with ivermectin intended for livestock.

Here is what you need to know about ivermectin:

• The FDA did not authorize or approve the use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans or animals.
• Currently available data do not show that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Clinical trials of ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans are ongoing.
• Taking large doses of ivermectin is dangerous.
• If your attending physician issues you a prescription for ivermectin, then take it exactly as prescribed by the doctor.

Never use drugs intended for animals, on yourself or other people. Products with animal ivermectin are very different from those approved for humans. The use of animal-derived ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.

At this time, ivermectin tablets are approved by the FDA for the treatment of people with intestinal strongyloidosis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms. In addition, some forms of ivermectin for topical use are approved for the treatment of external parasites such as head lice and skin diseases such as rosacea.

Some forms of animal ivermectin are approved for the prevention of heart worm and the treatment of some internal and external parasites. It is important to note that these products differ from those for humans and are safe only when used for animals as prescribed.

The FDA did not authorize or approve ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in humans or animals. Ivermectin is not safe or effective at these indications.

Even ivermectin levels allowed for use in humans can interact with other drugs, such as blood thinners. Also, due to the incorrect dosage of ivermectin, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotonia (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and urticaria), dizziness, ataxia (equilibrium problems), seizures, coma can occur and even lead to death.

Products with ivermectin for animals are different from products with ivermectin for humans. First, drugs for animals often have a high concentration because they are used to treat large animals such as horses and cows, which weigh much more than humans. Such high doses can be very toxic to humans. Moreover, the FDA tests drugs not only for the safety and effectiveness of active ingredients, but also for inactive ingredients. Many inactive ingredients contained in animal products are not evaluated for human use. Or they are included in much larger quantities than those used in humans. In some cases, it is not known how these inactive ingredients will affect the absorption of ivermectin in the human body.

Proof of effectiveness of control against COVID-19

On April 9, 2020, it became known about a drug that can completely suppress COVID-19 coronavirus in the body in 48 hours. We are talking about the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin.

This find was told by scientists from Monash University and the Royal Hospital in Melbourne. Under laboratory conditions, scientists added ivermectin to virus-infected cells and observed what was happening.

Found a drug that completely suppresses coronavirus in the body in 48 hours

The drug was added two hours after infection. As a result, thanks to one dose of the drug after 24 hours, the amount of viral RNA decreases by 93%, and after two days - by more than 99%.

In addition, during the experiment, ivermectin did not have a toxic effect on the samples, but its use led to the loss of almost all viral material, reports Antiviral Research.

It is noted that the effectiveness of the drug has so far been proved only in laboratory conditions, it needs to be confirmed during clinical trials.

Ivermectin is currently very widely used around the world and is considered a safe drug, but we need to find out if the dosage that can be used for humans will be effective in combating coronavirus. This is our next step, "reported the study's lead author, Dr. Kylie Wagstaff of the MU School of Biomedicine.

Scientists hope that ivermectin will help reduce the viral load of COVID-19, prevent the development of complications from the disease and limit the transmission of infection from person to person.

The drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration FDA for the treatment of certain parasitic diseases, is included in the list of essential drugs, and WHO therefore already has an established safety profile for use in humans.^[1] 

2019: Ivermectin cream in experiments on the treatment of rosacea

External manifestations of rosacea occur under the influence of antimicrobial peptides and activation of cellular receptors. To succeed in the therapy of this recurrent disease, combined treatment protocols are required.

In November 2019, it became known that a team of Russian specialists conducted a study in mice, after introducing it with a peptide that caused vasodilation and small hemorrhages in the skin, like manifestations of rosacea. For therapy, the Ivermectin cream was used in combination with exposure to a pulsed dye laser (PDL) with a wavelength of 595 nm.

Ivermectin blocks special types of channels in the calcium membranes of cells and opens them to pass calcium ions. As a result, the nerve and muscle cells of helminths stop their normal work. Parasites have paralysis and death^[2].

After the use of the combined protocol, the clinical picture changed: the accumulation of white blood cells in the dermis and hypoderm decreased, in the dermis there was desolation of part of the vessels, in the hypoderm dilated full-blooded vessels were preserved, endothelium was absent in them. Such results suggest the promise of this treatment protocol and open up new possibilities in the treatment of facial rosacea in non-invasive ways^[3].

Notes