Ivermectin - A useful treatment for COVID-19 coronavirus? Some discussion and studies...

[Emily]

May 20, 2021 | USA
The Drug that Cracked Covid by Michael Capuzzo
New York Times best-selling author Michael Capuzzo writes in Mountain Home the riveting, unbelievable story behind the story of why a family whose mother was dying of COVID, had to obtain a court-order to compel the hospital to give her a life-saving medicine. Capuzzo calls upon his journalist colleagues to “open their minds to legitimate, unreported doctors and therapies and write about all sides of the Ivermectin story, like journalists always have. It is a historic opportunity. For the first time in the long journey from Gutenberg to Google, journalists may be the ones to save the world.
https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/The-Drug-that-Cracked-Covid-by-Michael-Ca…

 

[JJackson]

BMC Infect Dis . Ivermectin to prevent hospitalizations in patients with COVID-19 (IVERCOR-COVID19) a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...domized-double-blind-placebo-controlled-trial

Results: The mean age was 42 years (SD ± 15.5) and the median time since symptom onset to the inclusion was 4 days [interquartile range 3-6]. The primary outcome of hospitalization was met in 14/250 (5.6%) individuals in ivermectin group and 21/251 (8.4%) in placebo group (odds ratio 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-1.31; p = 0.227). Time to hospitalization was not statistically different between groups. The mean time from study enrollment to invasive mechanical ventilatory support (MVS) was 5.25 days (SD ± 1.71) in ivermectin group and 10 days (SD ± 2) in placebo group, (p = 0.019). There were no statistically significant differences in the other secondary outcomes including polymerase chain reaction test negativity and safety outcomes.

 

[Emily]

I wish they had disclosed the placebo. They welcomed questions, though. I noticed a couple of the HCQ studies used vitamins.
They do have the dosing in the PDF. (I don't know how this compares to COVID treatment protocols being used.)

"The dose of ivermectin used was the approved dose in
Argentina for the treatment of other diseases, such as
parasitic diseases, and it was staggered according to
weight. Those weighing up to 80 Kg received 2 tablets of
6 mg (mg) each at inclusion and another 2 tablets of 6
mg each 24 h after the first dose (total 24 mg). Those
weighing more than 80 kg and up to 110 kg received 3
tablets of 6 mg each at inclusion and another 3 tablets of
6 mg each 24 h after the first dose (total 36 mg). Those
weighing more than 110 kg received 4 tablets of 6 mg
each at inclusion and another 4 tablets of 6 mg each 24
h after the first dose (total 48 mg). Individuals randomized
to placebo received the equivalent number of placebo
tablets to the ivermectin weight-based dosage, at
baseline and again after 24 h."

 

[JJackson]

It looks like it may have a uses as a prophylactic

Use of Ivermectin as a Potential Chemoprophylaxis for COVID-19 in Egypt: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...covid-19-in-egypt-a-randomized-clinical-trial

Results: Ivermectin group included 203 contacts (to 52 index cases) aged 39.75±14.94 years; 52.2% were males. Nonintervention group included 101 contacts (to a total of 24 index cases) aged 37.69±16.96 years, 49.5% were males. Fifteen contacts (7.4%) developed COVID-19 in the ivermectin arm compared to 59 (58.4%) in the nonintervention arm (P <0.001). The protection rate for ivermectin was more prominent in contacts aged less than 60-year-old (6.2% infected compared to 58.7% if no treatment). Ivermectin in the protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection had an OR of 12.533 and 11.445 (compared to nontreatment) in both univariate and multivariate models, respectively. Side effects of ivermectin were reported in 5.4%; they were mild. Conclusion: Ivermectin is suggested to be a promising, effective and safe chemoprophylactic drug in management of COVID-19.

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.news24.com/health24/med...d-19-retracted-amid-ethical-concerns-20210716


26m ago
A study showing promising evidence of ivermectin for Covid-19 retracted amid ‘ethical concerns’
accreditation
Compiled by Zakiyah Ebrahim

There has been a lot of discussion on ivermectin as a possible prophylaxis and treatment for Covid-19.
In November, a study studying the value of the drug for Covid showed promising findings, and was highly cited in other papers.
But independent researchers conducted in-depth investigations and found that the original study was potentially based on fraud, inconsistencies, and plagiarism.

An extensive preprint study showing that the anti-parasitic drug, ivermectin, played a significant role in reducing the risk of Covid-19 infection, hospitalisation, and death has been withdrawn due to "ethical concerns".


The research was led by Dr Ahmed Elgazzar from Benha University in Egypt and was published on Research Square in November 2020. It was presented as the results of a multi-centre, 600-patient study evaluating the use of the drug in preventing and treating Covid-19. ..

 

[JJackson]

See Shiloh's post below the first trial that I had seen that which showed a clear benefit now seems to have been fraudulent and has been retracted.

 

[Vibrant62]

I have several issues with this report (see post above), the largest being the implication that removal of this one study completely invalidates the findings of all the others. It also leans towards a high degree of bias in terms of the tone and conclusions of the author. Indeed, the meta-analyses will need correcting if their findings hold up following additional scrutiny, but if you look e.g. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...jt-28-e434.pdf, then yes, the study in question has been included in this meta-analysis. If the researcher's findings are validated, then it will need updating... but it was still only one of 24 RCTs examined, and if you look at each of the arms, the patient numbers in each were not so great as to massively alter the findings and negate any benefit as is implied (in contrast with the conclusions stated in this article by its author).

Either way, I hope that the currently underway trials in e.g. the UK PRINCIPAL trial are expedited, as if ivermectin works, the need for it is now, not next year or the year after.

 

[Emily]

It might have something to offer for long haulers. I saw a couple of legit seeming reports of improvement in a couple of women on Twitter. Here's a news report.
https://news.wttw.com/2021/07/02/co...tin-relief-questions-over-drugs-effectiveness

I put a research article in the library about finding lingering virus in the intestinal tracts of long haulers. Since ivermectin was designed to treat intestinal parasites, the concentrations there could be strong enough to knock it out and allow the immune system to regulate itself again. Maybe the Chinese were onto something doing those anal swabs!

 

[Mary Wilson]

Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research?

3 days ago
Gideon M-K

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic medication used to treat various types of worms and similar diseases. It’s pretty safe, widely in use across the world, and in most ways a useful medication to have on hand if you think you’ve been exposed to contaminated human feces, or if you just need to disinfect your sheep.

However, there has been a lot of hubbub over ivermectin for another reason. According to a number of ad-hoc groups across the world, as well as some scientific studies, ivermectin is a silver bullet against COVID-19. And while there may be some question about whether ivermectin works, with the World Health Organization recommending that it only be used to treat COVID-19 in the context of a clinical trial, there is also a lot of optimism about using it as a treatment. Half a dozen countries have officially promoted ivermectin as a drug for COVID-19, and it has likely been given to tens of millions of people across the world at this point, with prices skyrocketing as a result.
...
https://gidmk.medium.com/is-ivermectin-for-covid-19-based-on-fraudulent-research-5cc079278602

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

[Emily]

Some candid discussion about early treatments in the video below.

https://www.brighteon.com/248b0cd2-2978-4a47-bc8c-ece9292228f2
"Paul Alexander, PhD is an amazing man. Born in Trinidad, trained at Oxford, Johns Hopkins, and McMasters University, his specialty is the critical analysis of science. He currently resides in the United States, which is a gift to us. He was on the staff of the World Health Organization (WHO) and then became a member of President Trump’s White House Coronavirus Task Force—and provides us a rare insider look..."

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://naturalselections.substack.com/p/on-driving-sars-cov2-extinct

On Driving SARS-CoV2 Extinct
Why We Need a Multi-Pronged Approach
Heather Heying
Jul 30

This article is co-authored by Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein. It is very long, and sometimes technical, and not as much fun as a lot of what will be showing up in Natural Selections in the future.

We are at a crossroads. There is a deadly virus circulating and out of control. Many have died, and many more certainly will. We can choose to use all available tools to eradicate this virus, or we can allow it to become a permanent fellow traveler, endemic to humanity. The first option has a high cost, but that cost is finite, largely ending when the disease ends. The second option is much worse. To the cost that we have already paid, add a continuing pattern of suffering and casualties going forward indefinitely. This toll is incalculable. Some have argued that it is already too late—an evolutionary hazard we warned about early in the pandemic—but we have yet to see a compelling argument to support this belief, and until such a case is made we, together, are morally obligated to pursue the eradication of Covid-19.

If we are interested in minimizing harm from SARS-CoV2, we need to use prophylaxis to force extinction. Prophylaxis refers to action taken before exposure to prevent an event. A condom is prophylaxis against pregnancy. Doxycycline is prophylaxis against malaria. Vaccines and repurposed drugs such as ivermectin have both been presented as prophylaxis against Covid-19. In order to clear our planet of SARS-CoV2, we need safe and effective prophylaxis distributed so widely that it drives the virus to extinction.

How we do this is up for debate, and of course there will be disagreement along the way. Some people, including the authors of a recently published Quillette article, see one and only one way forward: vaccination of every person with access to currently authorized vaccines. Other people, including ourselves, believe that the current vaccines—which are non-sterilizing, cannot quickly reach the entire world, and provide only narrow, short-lived immunity—cannot accomplish the goal, not even in principle. Any viable strategy for extinguishing SARS-CoV-2 in the near term must therefore include effective prophylaxis beyond the current crop of authorized vaccines. For now that means drugs taken to prevent infection for those who are unvaccinated and who have not had a confirmed case of Covid (and therefore lack natural immunity). It may also require prophylactic medicine for vaccinated people as fading vaccine-induced immunity and new variants evolving in response to the vaccination campaign render the current vaccines ever less effective. ..

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Prophylactic Role of Ivermectin in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Among Healthcare Workers

Published: August 05, 2021

Abstract

Introduction
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are vulnerable to getting infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Preventing HCWs from getting infected is a priority to maintain healthcare services. The therapeutic and preventive role of ivermectin in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is being investigated. Based on promising results of in vitro studies of oral ivermectin, this study was conducted with the aim to demonstrate the prophylactic role of oral ivermectin in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar.

Methods
A prospective cohort study was conducted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, which has been providing both COVID and non-COVID care since March 2020. All employees and students of the institute who provided written informed consent participated in the study. The uptake of two doses of oral ivermectin (300 μg/kg/dose at a gap of 72 hours) was considered as exposure. The primary outcome of the study was COVID-19 infection in the following month of ivermectin consumption, diagnosed as per Government of India testing criteria (real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) guidelines. The log-binomial model was used to estimate adjusted relative risk (ARR), and the Kaplan-Meier failure plot was used to estimate the probability of COVID-19 infection with follow-up time.

Results
Of 3892 employees, 3532 (90.8%) participated in the study. The ivermectin uptake was 62.5% and 5.3% for two doses and single dose, respectively. Participants who took ivermectin prophylaxis had a lower risk of getting symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection (6% vs 15%). HCWs who had taken two doses of oral ivermectin had a significantly lower risk of contracting COVID-19 infection during the following month (ARR 0.17; 95% CI, 0.12-0.23). Females had a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 than males (ARR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.52-0.93). The absolute risk reduction of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 9.7%. Only 1.8% of the participants reported adverse events, which were mild and self-limiting.

Conclusion
Two doses of oral ivermectin (300 μg/kg/dose given 72 hours apart) as chemoprophylaxis among HCWs reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection by 83% in the following month. Safe, effective, and low-cost chemoprophylaxis has relevance in the containment of pandemic alongside vaccine.

https://www.cureus.com/articles/648...2-infection-among-healthcare-workers#abstract

 

[JJackson]

That looks promising but it is a shame it was not done as double blind placebo controlled study with a better balance between the arms. Although it had 3532 subjects taking ivermectin it only had 360 controls which makes it statistically less powerful.

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

[Emily]

Effectiveness of Ivermectin-Based Multidrug Therapy in Severe Hypoxic Ambulatory COVID-19 Patients

 

[Pathfinder]

Don’t use animal drugs bought at feed store to prevent COVID-19, MSDH says

WAPT.Updated: 1:46 PM CDT Aug 20, 2021
Angela Williams
Digital Media Manager

...
"The Mississippi Poison Control Center has received increased calls due to livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin taken to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans. Do NOT take drugs made for animals in any form," the Mississippi State Department of Health said on social media Friday.
...
"Ivermectin at high doses can be toxic and even deadly in really high concentrations in animal models," Dobbs said.
...
At least one person has been hospitalized because of ivermectin-related toxicity, Dobbs said.

"Please work with your doctor. This is medical treatment," Dobbs said. ... It can be dangerous to get the wrong doses of medication, especially for something that’s meant for a horse or a cow."
...
https://www.wdsu.com/article/dont-u...-store-to-prevent-covid-19-msdh-says/37360311

 

[Mary Wilson]

Neil Stone
@DrNeilStone

When the story of this pandemic is told in generations to come who will believe that people turned down vaccines in favour of worm pills

3:55 PM · Aug 25, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

https://twitter.com/DrNeilStone/status/1430634876949118981

_______________________________________________________________________________

What is ivermectin?

By Rania Gollakner, BS, DVM, MPH

Ivermectin is most commonly used as a heartworm preventive in dogs and cats. It also used 'off label' or 'extra-label' for treating a variety of internal and external parasites.

For example, in dogs, ivermectin may be used in the treatment of mites (demodectic mange, scabies, and ear mites), intestinal parasites (hookworms, roundworms), and capillaria. In cats, ivermectin may be used to treat ear mites and cat scabies. ...

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ivermectin

 

[Emily]

If that tweet is archived, they'll feel sorry for a previous generation that suffered doctors who make false equivalences between vaccines and treatment/preventative drugs, don't know that it is legal for doctors to use approved drugs off-label, and don't know that ivermectin is not just approved for non-human animals as a 'worm drug'.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/ivermectin
Ivermectin is an orally bioavailable macrocyclic lactone derived from Streptomyces avermitilis, with antiparasitic and potential anti-viral activities. Upon administration, ivermectin exerts its anthelmintic effect through binding and activating glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls) expressed on nematode neurons and pharyngeal muscle cells. This causes increased permeability of chloride ions, causing a state of hyperpolarization and results in the paralysis and death of the parasite. Ivermectin may exerts its antiviral effect, including its potential activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), by binding to the importin (IMP) alpha/beta1 heterodimer, which is responsible for the nuclear import of viral proteins such as the integrase (IN) protein. This inhibits nuclear import of host and viral proteins and may inhibit viral replication.

 

[Emily]

Once again, the 'livestock medicine' smear. So much for 'One Health' if drugs that are used in both humans and non-human animals are somehow tainted. Amazing how everyone but doctors are doctors now - even ACLU lawyers. They and that Justice of the Peace are sticking their noses in a successful protocol for political purposes. Are they so ignorant that they think that every time a doctor prescribes an off-label drug they are wrongfully experimenting on humans? Is that a witch hunt they want to start?

https://www.nwahomepage.com/northwes...n-county-jail/
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — During the Washington County Finance and Budget Committee meeting on August 25, it was said that inmates at the Washington County Jail were treated with ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that is commonly used in livestock.
...
The sheriff said during the meeting that only one person of over 500 positives have been admitted to the hospital.

Karas Health Care made a Facebook post on July 16 that stated in part, “if anybody you know test positive send them our way and we’ll get them started on doxy, singular, ivermectin, vitamin d, vitamin c and zinc and do our best to keep them out of the hospital.

A comment was made on the post and Karas Health Care responded with: “Yes we have been using ivermectin for prevention since January. I restarted for myself last week.”
...
The ACLU released a statement on the use of Ivermectin at the Washington County Jail.

No one – including incarcerated individuals – should be subject to medical experimentation...​