Treatment with the dewormer drug ivermectin failed to prevent patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 from progressing to serious illness, a study published Friday by JAMA Internal Medicine found.
Highlights
- Treatment with dewormer drug ivermectin failed to prevent patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 progressing to serious illness.
- 43 of 249 patients, or 17%, who received “standard” treatment progressed to severe illness, researchers say.
- Study compared the safety and effectiveness of the drug to standard care in 480 Malaysian patients.
- Study co-author Dr.
- Steven Chee Loon Lim: “Our findings will likely ‘close the door’ on the use” of iverectin as a treatment for the virus.
- The drug has been touted by celebrities and others despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting its use, he says.