(CNN) – According to a new study, Ivermectin does not prevent more severe Govt-19 disease than placebo. JAMA Internal Medicine This Friday.
The study involved nearly 500 patients aged 50 and over who were at risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19. These patients were treated in 2021 in 20 public hospitals and isolated centers in Malaysia.
Half of the patients took oral ivarmectin for five days, and the placebo group treated their symptoms. All were monitored for disease progression.
Ivermectin does not prevent acute Govt-19 disease
There were no differences in results between groups. In fact, patients in the Ivermectin group progressed to needing more oxygen than those taking placebo, although the difference was not statistically significant.
This is the main effect that the researchers studied, but they also looked at whether patients should be admitted to the hospital, placed on a ventilator, require intensive treatment, or die from their infections. There were no significant differences in results between the group taking Ivermectin and those receiving placebo treatment.
The study had several important strengths:
- This is a randomized, controlled trial – the golden standard of clinical research – in which researchers test the intervention against placebo.
- The study included high-risk patients with Govit-19 disease, i.e. those over 50 with at least one additional risk factor and mild or moderate symptoms. Asymptomatic or those with already advanced disease were excluded from the study.
- Participants were recorded only after the infection was confirmed in a PCR test.
- This is a multicenter test conducted from May 31 to October 25, 2021 at 20 General Hospitals in Malaysia and at the Kovit-19 Isolation Center.
This study is a continuation of two previous randomized control trials of Ivermectin for Covit-19 from Argentina and Colombia. Both studies concluded that Ivermectin had no significant effect on symptoms or hospitalization rates, and the World Health Organization (WHO) advised that Ivermectin should be used only for the treatment of Govit-19 in the clinical trial setting.
