Oxford University explores anti- parasitic drug ivermectin as Covid-19 treatment

The University of Oxford said on Wednesday it was testing anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a possible treatment for Covid-19, as part of a British government-backed study that aims to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings.

Ivermectin resulted in a reduction of virus replication in laboratory studies, the university said, adding 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.

Dubbed PRINCIPLE, the British study in January 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," co-lead investigator of the trial Chris Butler said.

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 added.

Ivermectin is the seventh treatment to be investigated in the trial, and is currently being evaluated alongside antiviral drug favipiravir, the university said. 

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Widely Available Anti-Parasitic Drug Kills Coronavirus In 48 Hours, New Research Claims

A new study claims to have found an anti-parasitic drug that can kill the Coronavirus present  in a host cell completely within 48 hours. As per the study, there is a “significant reduction” in the virus cells within 24 hours of the using the drug. The best part is, the drug is already available widely throughout the world.


A joint work of Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, the study highlights Ivermectin as the drug to stop the COVID-19 virus growing in cell culture. The rate of the results as observed in the study was quite impressive as well.

For those unaware, Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug that is also proven effective against viruses including HIV, dengue and influenza. It is, however, yet unknown as to how Ivermectin works on the virus. For now, it is assumed that the drug stops the virus from dampening the host cells’ ability to fight it.

We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA (effectively removed all genetic material of the virus) by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it,” Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute’s Dr Kylie Wagstaff.

With the study already published in Antiviral Research, the next step for the researchers is to find out the correct human dosage for the anti-parasitic drug. “Realistically it’s going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available,” said Dr Wagstaff. Before being used in the fight against COVID-19, Ivermectin has to get through pre-clinical testing and clinical trials for which funding is required.

A factor that might help with the timeline is the global availability of the drug. Since it is already in use in several countries, the supply chain for the transportation of the drug will not have to be put in place once the drug is ready for us.

A similar case study was made for Chloroquine, a treatment for Malaria since decades, to be tested as the wonder drug against COVID-19. Here is how the drug got to be chosen for the same.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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