Oxford tests Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19 in non-hospital settings

The University of Oxford is testing the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19, as part of a British government-backed study called PRINCIPLE that aims to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings.

The study showed Ivermectin resulted in a reduction of virus replication in laboratory studies, and that a small pilot showed giving the drug early could reduce viral load and the duration of symptoms in some patients with mild COVID-19.

In January it showed that antibiotics Azithromycin and Doxycycline were generally ineffective against early-stage COVID-19.

While the World Health Organization and European and US regulators have recommended against using ivermectin in COVID-19 patients, it is being used to treat the illness in some countries, including India.

“By including ivermectin in a large-scale trial like PRINCIPLE, we hope to generate robust evidence to determine how effective the treatment is against COVID-19, and whether there are benefits or harms associated with its use,” said Chris Butler, co-lead investigator of the trial.

People with severe liver conditions, who are on blood-thinning medication warfarin, or taking other treatments known to interact with ivermectin, will be excluded from the trial, the university noted.

Ivermectin is the seventh treatment to be investigated in the study and is currently being evaluated alongside the antiviral drug Favipiravir.

SOURCE: Business World