A large study from Brazil has now confirmed it: the drug Ivermectin, which many opponents of vaccination saw as a miracle cure, absolutely does not help against Covid-19. The study, published in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine, concludes that the vermifuge is clinically ineffective — both in terms of risk of hospitalization and length of hospital stay or recovery from infection.
Ivermectin, which can be used in humans against certain roundworms and mange mites, has gained popularity, most recently among those who oppose vaccination. They saw the drug as a kind of panacea in the pandemic.
In some countries – including Austria – there have been reports of a run on pharmacies. The hype was fueled by dubious websites referencing supposedly promising results, especially from smaller studies – the quality and overall validity of which, however, experts say were in part questionable.
Even the manufacturer advised against taking it
In Austria, even the manufacturer MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) advised against using it itself: “There is no meaningful evidence for the use of ivermectin in SARS-CoV-2,” the company announced in November.
In the double-blind study now published, neither the doctors nor the randomly assigned patients knew who had received the anthelmintic and who had received a placebo. The more than 3,500 participants had an increased risk of a serious course of Covid due to their age or previous illnesses. 679 of them received ivermectin, just as many received a placebo, the remaining nearly 2160 patients were treated differently.
“No effect of the drug!” tweeted Stefan Kluge, director of the intensive care clinic at University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, referring to the study. Infection immunologist Leif Erik Sander of the Berlin Charité also responded to the result on Twitter: “This should be the end of this.”
WHO and EMA against the use of the drug
Even in the past, meta-analyses summarizing individual studies and lab experiments failed to reach clear conclusions about a putative benefit of ivermectin. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) still speak out against the use of the drug in the pandemic. In the wrong dosage, the drug can be very toxic.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
