Is the drug to deworm Ivermectin considered an effective and safe treatment for COVID-19 right now?

SAINT ANTHONY – – You may have seen posts about the medication Ivermectin on social media. An issue was also mentioned during a Senate committee hearing.

There is a question circulating right now across the country: Is the weed drug Ivermectin safe and effective for use as a COVID-19 treatment?

We asked the question through our KSAT confidence index, where our teams consult with doctors, researchers and experts on topics discussed like this.

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

Ivermectin is one of the drugs that showed a positive response in labs earlier this year to treat SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

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

“I agree with the NIH recommendation that it should be done in a trial where they are really being closely monitored,” Bowling said.

Bowling is called promising Ivermectin, but he worries to know that doctors prescribe it off the label or that some people even take prescription drugs from pets.

“The problem is that if you take the level of Ivermectin they use on these plates in the lab, it’s ten times higher than the approved dose for people,” he said. “Ivermectin is usually well tolerated, but when people have an inflammatory state like they would with COVID infection, it can cause side effects of neuro-toxicity to the central nervous system. “

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

For this reason, along with the lack of FDA approval or emergency use authorization, the statement that “Ivermectin is considered a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 right now” is labeled as Not true to our KSAT confidence index

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