Topline
Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used by former President Donald Trump to treat Covid-19 and promoted by some Republican legislators, does nothing to prevent the disease from progressing, according to a study out of Malaysia published Friday by the Journal of the American Medical Association, confirming prior studies suggesting that ivermectin does not effectively prevent or treat the disease.
Key Facts
Researchers gave 241 high-risk patients with mild or moderate Covid-19 a five-day course of oral ivermectin during the first week of illness, but found that it did not reduce the risk of severe disease compared to 249 similar patients who did not receive the drug.
The study was conducted across 20 public hospitals and a Covid-19 quarantine center, and was open to patients experiencing their first week of illness who were age 50 and older with comorbidities, lab-confirmed Covid, and mild to moderate disease, according to the research.
To test the drug’s effectiveness, the study measured the proportion of patients who progressed to needing supplemental oxygen to maintain blood oxygen levels of 95% or higher, as well as the rates of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit admission, and other adverse effects.
The results showed 21.6% of patients in the group that received ivermectin progressed to severe disease, while 17.3% of patients in the control group ended up becoming more severely ill, and “no significant differences” between the groups related to the other outcomes.
The study reinforced findings from 2021 clinical trials in Colombia and Argentina which tentatively determined that ivermectin does not have a significant effect on symptoms or hospitalization rates among people with Covid.
The JAMA study collected data from a total of 490 patients from May 31 to October 25.
Key Background
Ivermectin is an inexpensive and widely available drug used to treat humans for parasitic infections like intestinal worms or head lice. A different form of ivermectin is used to treat animals like horses and cows for parasites. Some early studies suggested ivermectin might effectively treat or prevent Covid, though researchers later found many of these studies had methodological weaknesses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved ivermectin to treat Covid-19 in people or animals, and warns that the concentrated doses formulated for animals can be dangerous for humans, possibly causing nausea, low blood pressure, dizziness, loss of balance, seizures, coma or death. Ivermectin can also cause side effects if taken alongside some other medications. Nonetheless, legislatures in Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and elsewhere have introduced bills to prevent action against medical professionals who prescribe ivermectin. In August, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) claimed that federal researchers would not give ivermectin a fair shot because of “hatred” for Trump.
Crucial Quote
“The drug doesn’t work against Covid—full stop,” Dr. Michael Saag, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told the Guardian in January. “There are countless studies—randomized, well-conducted clinical trials—that show no benefit, so why would you want to use a drug that doesn’t work?”
Further Reading
Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
#News | https://sciencespies.com/news/ivermectin-doesnt-help-covid-patients-study-finds/
No comments:
Post a Comment