The Medicines Directorate declined to give details since the restriction on the free sale of the drug and the selling price in pharmacies was removed.
The drug Ivermectin, the name has become popular because some doctors use it as part of treatment for COVID-19, is sold in pharmacies without the need to prescribe.
The sale of the drug had restricted its sale, but according to various sources consulted, the National Directorate of Medicines (DNM) removed the requirement.
Ivermectin is an already certified drug that is prescribed for parasitic infections, in formula for both animals and humans. And it is used for treatments of external parasites such as lice and skin diseases.
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Side effects due to the use of Ivermectin
A publication in Revistamedica.com, which took stock of 62 scientific articles related to the topic, reflected that the drug can cause adverse effects in patients, “such as blurred vision, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, diarrhea, myalgia (discomfort). muscle), constipation, fever, insomnia, edema “, among others.
People who should not use Ivermectin
People with liver damage, or pregnant. Do not administer if you are breastfeeding. It should not be used in children under 33 pounds.
Both the Medical College and the Association of Chemical-Pharmaceutical Industrialists of El Salvador agree that there is a free sale of Ivermectin.
However, Miltón Brizuela, president of the Medical College, explained that the DNM has not yet notified the collegiate body of the new provision.
Today’s Journal consulted the National Medicines Directorate on the authorization of the over-the-counter sale of the drug, the reasons and parameters for cataloging it as an over-the-counter drug, in addition to having the estimated price for the sale; however, the management’s Communication spokesman said the institution would not take a stand on the issue.
The drug is sold and promoted as over-the-counter by various pharmacies. The cost ranges from $ 48.26 to $ 31.96, and some offer home delivery.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that the drug causes reactions that can trigger blistering, liver damage, swelling in the face or limbs.
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Since last March, with the outbreak of the new virus, dozens of laboratories around the world began to explore what drugs already guaranteed could slow down the COVID-19, and in April representatives of the Institute of Biomedicine of Australia from the University of Monach reported that, after a study of “in vitro” cell cultures (in the laboratory), they had found that the use of Ivermectin had slowed the advance of viral RNA. of SARs-Cov-2 significantly, above 90%.
Faced with the emergency situation and amid the impact that COVID-19 was having globally, many countries decided to adopt Ivermectin as part of the use of the new coronavirus, both preventively and as a treatment. However, studies revealed that he had to prescribe in large proportions.
For Carlos Ortega, specialist in virology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of El Salvador, Ivermectin has not actually gone through study phases to be an antiviral against COVID-19 and has no international certifications for it; however, in light of the emergency and the data released by laboratory studies, it does not see its use badly.
The epidemiologist Roberto Vidrí in August 2020 told El Diari d’Avui that there are no drugs to prevent or cure COVID-19 and that what doctors are currently doing is treating the symptoms caused by the virus. such as, fever, headache, sore throat, dry cough, difficulty breathing, among others.
“Ivermectin should not be widely used by COVID-19. Decisions are based on the burden of proof. At this time the evidence indicates that it does not work against COVID-19, although it could change in the future. Therefore, it should not be part of the current protocol “, argued Roberto Vidrí.
The Government of El Salvador, like Brazil, Honduras and the United States, use Ivermectin in the treatment of people who became infected with COVID-19.
Vidrí explained that it is not necessarily the drug that helps the recovery of people with the virus but that, “most people will recover from COVID-19 without any intervention. The association is wrong: they were cured because it they were going to do it anyway, not for the medicine, ”Vidrí said.
The head of infectology at Rosales Hospital, Rolando Cedillos, also explained last August that scientific evidence, so far, indicates that infected people are not necessarily going to develop symptoms and that it was irresponsible to encourage self-medication, when there is no prophylactic drug.
“They give drugs as it has been given to the patient (confirmed) to asymptomatic people, when no drug has been shown to prevent and cure COVID-19, it is irresponsible,” said Cedillos on the drug kit given by the Government, which includes the drug.
The specialist’s statements are based on the behavior of the disease, according to the Center for Control and Prevention (CDC), which states that most people around the world. 80%) recover from the disease without the need for hospital treatment. And 1 in 5 people who contract COVID-19 end up with a severe condition and experience difficulty breathing.