Australian researchers have published a study showing Ivermectin (drug commonly used to treat parasite infections) can also kill coronavirus in a laboratory setting in under 48 hours.
Ivermectin is FDA-approved for parasitic infections and is widely available, due to its inclusion on the WHO model list of essential medicines.
Ivermectin has been widely used since the 1980s to treat head lice, scabies and several other infections caused by parasites. The drug is also used to treat the skin condition rosacea.
Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia have discovered that the antiparasitic drug Ivermectin can inhibit replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus the causes COVID-19, according to a study published Friday in the journal Antiviral Research.
The study report states “Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic previously shown to have broad-spectrum anti-viral activity in vitro, is an inhibitor of the causative virus (SARS-CoV-2), with a single addition to Vero-hSLAM cells 2 hours post infection with SARS-CoV-2 able to effect ∼5000-fold reduction in viral RNA at 48 h. Ivermectin therefore warrants further investigation for possible benefits in humans.”
The study leader Dr. Kylie Wagstaff stated “we need to figure out now whether the dosage you can use it at in humans will be effective—that’s the next step. We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it”
Although some preliminary research has shown promise, the drugs also carry side effects that could potentially cause more harm than good, and it is not yet known whether any can could be used as a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19.
Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354220302011
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