Ivermectin: What is it? How does it work? Is it safe and effective?

January 25, 2022 Owl Early treatment protocols, Ivermectin, Medical articles, Updates 0

ivermectin

Test tube research

Low ZY, Yip AJW, Lal SK. Repositioning Ivermectin for Covid-19 treatment: Molecular mechanisms of action against SARS-CoV-2 replication. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2022;1868(2):166294. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2021.166294
Ivermectin (IVM) is an FDA approved macrocyclic lactone compound traditionally used to treat parasitic infestations and has shown to have antiviral potential from previous in-vitro (test-tube) studies. Currently, IVM is commercially available as a veterinary drug but has also been applied in humans to treat river blindness – a parasitic worm infection – and strongyloidiasis, a roundworm/nematode infection. In light of the recent pandemic, the repurposing of IVM to combat SARS-CoV-2 has acquired significant attention. Recently, IVM has been proven effective in numerous in-silico and molecular biology experiments against the infection in mammalian cells and human cohort studies. One promising study had reported a marked reduction of 93% of released virion and 99.98% unreleased virion levels upon administration of IVM to Vero-hSLAM cells. IVM’s mode of action centres around the inhibition of the cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling of viral proteins by disrupting the Importin heterodimer complex (IMPα/β1) and downregulating STAT3, thereby effectively reducing the cytokine storm. Furthermore, the ability of IVM to block the active sites of viral 3CLpro and S protein, disrupts important machinery such as viral replication and attachment. This review paper compiles all the molecular evidence to date, in review of the antiviral characteristics exhibited by IVM. We discuss IVM’s mechanism and highlight the clinical advantages that could potentially contribute towards disabling the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2. In summary, the collective review of recent efforts suggests that IVM has a prophylactic effect and would be a strong candidate for clinical trials to treat SARS-CoV-2.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8526435/

Observational study, Brazil

Kerr L, Cadegiani FA, et al. Ivermectin Prophylaxis Used for COVID-19: A Citywide, Prospective, Observational Study of 223,128 Subjects Using Propensity Score Matching. Cureus. 2022 Jan 15;14(1):e21272. doi: 10.7759/cureus.21272. PMID: 35070575; PMCID: PMC8765582.
This citywide assessment of the effects of ivermectin use in COVID-19 prevention, was conducted between July 2020 and December 2020 in Itajaí, Brazil. Ivermectin users’ mortality rate was 70% less than that of non-users. 44 ivermectin users had to be hospitalized, versus 99 non-users. The researchers concluded that in this large study, the regular use of ivermectin as a prophylactic agent was associated with significantly reduced COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35070575/

Review and meta-analysis, low- and middle-income countries

Azeez TA, Lakoh S et al. Chemoprophylaxis against COVID-19 among health-care workers using Ivermectin in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Indian J Pharmacol. 2021 Nov-Dec;53(6):493-498. doi: 10.4103/ijp.ijp_117_21. PMID: 34975139.
This meta-analysis suggests that Ivermectin is effective in preventing the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 among health-care workers in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, the various doses were all found to be effective, but the most effective was the 12 mg weekly doses administered over a period of 8 weeks. With the limited access to COVID-19 vaccines and sustainable supplies of infection prevention commodities, the authors recommend that Ivermectin may be used as a prophylactic drug against COVID-19 among hospital workers practicing in developing countries.
Read the whole of this paper

Comments

The above were the only recent positive studies we could find for Ivermectin against Covid-19. Some other studies have not shown positive results. There are a number of websites and articles warning of Ivermectin toxicity in humans, but we find these hard to reconcile with the findings of most researchers. In the official clinical trials database we found 83 studies using Ivermectin against Covid-19, either completed or in progress.

Ivermectin has become highly politicised, and subject to raging controversy. You can read some of the controversy at these links:

Doctor files lawsuit against hospital which fired her for prescribing Ivermectin

https://rumble.com/vstevv-dr.-mary-talley-bowden-files-a-lawsuit-against-hospital-who-fired-her-for-r.html