Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat infections of roundworms and other tiny parasites in humans and some large animals. Health experts and medical groups are pushing to eliminate the growing use of the antiparasitic drug for decades to treat COVID-19, despite warnings that it can cause harmful side effects and there is little evidence to help. (Denis Farrell, Associated Press)
WASHINGTON – Health experts and medical groups are pushing to end the growing use of a parasitic drug for decades to treat COVID-19, warning that it can cause harmful side effects and there is little evidence to help.
With a fourth wave of infections, more Americans are turning to ivermectin, a cheap drug used to kill worms and other parasites in humans and animals.
Federal health officials have seen an increase in prescriptions this summer, accompanied by a worrying increase in reported overdoses. The drug was even administered to inmates at a prison in northwest Arkansas by COVID-19, despite federal warnings against such use. On Wednesday, podcaster Joe Rogan, who has rejected the COVID-19 vaccine, announced that he had tested positive for the virus and was taking the medication.
Ivermectin has been promoted by Republican lawmakers, hosts of conservative social gatherings, and some doctors, amplified through social media to millions of Americans who remain resistant to vaccination. It has also been widely used in other countries, including India and Brazil.
This week, major U.S. professional groups for doctors and pharmacists called for an “immediate end” to drug use outside of research.
“We are urging physicians, pharmacists, and other prescribers (trusted health care professionals in their communities) to warn patients against ivermectin use outside of FDA-approved guidelines and guidelines,” the American Medical Association said. two groups of pharmacists.
Large studies are now being conducted in the United States and abroad to determine if the drug has any effect on the prevention or onset of COVID-19.
The latest petition follows similar warnings from state and federal regulators monitoring drug-related side effects and hospital admissions.
Louisiana and Washington issued alerts after an increase in calls to poison control centers. Some pet supply stores have run out of medicine due to the purchase of the veterinary form to treat COVID-19.
“Right now there is no good evidence to suggest that this is a good treatment to treat or prevent COVID-19,” said Randy McDonough, a pharmacist in Iowa City, Iowa.
Ivermectin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat infections of roundworms and other tiny parasites in humans and animals such as cows, horses, and dogs. Tablets are used for internal parasites, while ointments are used to treat head lice and other skin infections. The generic drug works by paralyzing worms and killing their offspring.
The FDA has tried to dismiss online claims that animal-strength drug versions may help fight COVID-19.
“Taking large doses of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious harm,” the FDA warned in a public advice. The drug can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, delirium and even death, the agency said.
It is quite easy to reach toxic levels … All of these concentrated doses intended for a 2,000 pound horse can certainly cause illness or hospitalized admission for toxicity.
–Dr. David Boulware of the University of Minnesota
Dr. David Boulware of the University of Minnesota says the side effects of the drug are mild at two or even three times the usual dose in humans. But farm animal formulations can contain 1,000 times what is safe for humans.
“It’s pretty easy to get to toxic levels,” said Boulware, an infectious disease specialist. “All of these concentrated doses intended for a 2,000-pound horse can certainly make people sick or hospitalized for toxicity.”
Boulware says he prescribes the drug to patients a few times a year in the U.S. and more commonly when working in countries where intestinal parasites are common. But he and other experts have been alarmed by the explosive growth of ivermectin prescription in the US.
By mid-August, U.S. pharmacies were filling 88,000 weekly prescriptions for the drug, a 24-fold increase from pre-COVID levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, U.S. poison control centers have experienced a fivefold increase in drug-related emergency calls, with some incidents requiring hospitalization.
The CDC cited a case of a man who drank an injectable form of ivermectin intended for livestock. He suffered from hallucinations, confusion, tremors and other side effects before being hospitalized for nine days.
The World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and other medical experts have also recommended not using it outside of studies with controlled patients. An NIH group found “sufficient evidence” for or against the drug for COVID-19, and called for larger, well-designed trials.
Experts noted that early laboratory research showed that ivermectin slows coronavirus replication when cultured in monkey cells. But these studies are not useful in measuring real-world efficacy in humans. And they pointed to other research suggesting that the drug should be administered at levels 100 times the standard dose to have antiviral effects in humans.
The NIH is studying the drug in a large trial comparing half a dozen established drugs to see if they have any effect against COVID-19.
Experts say those interested in ivermectin should ask about enrollment in these studies.
“Participating in a clinical trial will not hurt you and help society generate the knowledge we need to know if this works or not,” Boulware said.
Contributing: Andrew DeMillo contributed to this story from Little Rock, Arkansas
The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.