Ivermectin is effective in treating COVID-19?
The key messages
There was no evidence that supports the use of ivermectin in treating COVID-19 or preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. The evidence base was improved in this update, however, it remains a bit shaky.
Ivermectin’s evaluation is ongoing in 31 ongoing studies, and we’ll update this review once their results are released.
What is Ivermectin?
Iverheal 12 mg is a medication that is used to treat parasites including digestive parasites that affect animals and scabies in humans. It is affordable and widely used in parts that have parasite infections prevalent. It is safe and has no adverse effects.
Medical regulators haven’t given ivermectin approval for COVID-19.
What were we looking to know?
We wanted to improve our knowledge about how ivermectin can reduce mortality, illness, and the duration of infections in patients who suffer from COVID-19, or whether it is effective in preventing the infection.
We included studies comparing the drug against the placebo (a dummy treatment) as well as standard care or COVID-19 treatments which are proven to be effective to a certain extent like dexamethasone. We did not include trials that compared Ivermectin with other medications that are not effective such as hydroxychloroquine or the effectiveness of which is unclear.
We evaluated the effect of ivermectin on:
People dying; whether the COVID-19 levels of people’s improved or worsened;
Quality of life
– serious and not-serious undesirable consequences;
Clearance of viral infections.
To help prevent the spread of disease, we examined the impact on the prevention of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infections.
What happened?
We looked for randomized controlled studies that examined Ivermectin’s effectiveness in preventing or treating COVID-19. Patients admitted to hospitals or as outpatients needed to be confirmed by a laboratory for COVID-19.
This update examined the credibility of the studies and only accepted the trials if they meet certain ethical and scientific standards.
We summarized and compared the outcomes of the studies and assessed the confidence we have in the data by using standard factors such as trial procedures and size.
What did we discover?
We ruled out the seven trials we included in the review previously because the trials failed to meet the expected ethical or scientific standards. Alongside four new trials, we added 11 trials with 3409 participants. These trials examined ivermectin in conjunction with normal care, compared to identical normal treatment or placebo.
To treat the condition there were five trials for patients admitted to hospitals suffering from moderate COVID-19 as well as six trials for outpatients suffering from moderate COVID-19. The trials utilized different doses of Ivermectin and different lengths of treatment.
Ivermectin was not the subject of a study to help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
There were also 31 trials in the process of being completed, as well as another 28 trials needing clarification from the authors or not yet published.
The main results
Hospitalization of patients with COVID-19
We don’t know if Iversun 12mg is compared to normal care or placebo 28 days following treatment:
This can lead to the possibility of more or fewer deaths (3 trials and 230 deaths);
– improves or worsens patients’ health, measured through the need for ventilatory support or death (2 tests, 118 participants);
– reduces or increases the severity of unwanted situations (2 trials, 197 participants).
Ivermectin in comparison to normal care or placebo 28 days following treatment could make no or little difference in:
Improves the condition of patients as measured by discharge from the hospital (1 test, which involved 73 patients);
Unserious, unimportant occasions (3 trials 2228 people).
7 days after treatment, ivermectin can cause little or no change to the reduction of the negative tests for COVID-19 (3 trials with 231 participants) in comparison to the placebo or normal care.
Treatment of outpatients suffering from COVID-19
Ivermectin is compared to placebo or normal care for 28 days following treatment and likely makes no or little difference to patients who die (6 trials, 2860 patients).
Ivermectin in comparison to placebo or normal care for 28 days following treatment is not a significant difference in the quality of life (1 trial, 1358 participants).
Ivermectin when compared to the placebo or normal treatment for 28 days following treatment might make little or no difference in:
– aggravation of the patient’s condition as assessed by admission to the hospital or even death (2 trials, 590 patients);
Events that are serious and unwanted (5 trials 1502 people);
Non-serious unwelcome events (5 trials 1502 participants);
– reducing the symptoms of COVID-19 within 14 days following the treatment (2 tests, 478 participants);
The number of patients who have negative COVID-19 tests seven days following treatment (2 trials 331 patients).
What is the limitation on the basis of evidence?
The confidence we have in research, particularly for outpatients has improved from the last review, due to the fact that we were able to examine more participants who participated in high-quality studies.
We are confident about our findings regarding the mortality risk and their quality of life but the trust in the research is lower for other outcomes in the outpatient or inpatient setting since there were only a few outcomes that were measured. The methodologies differed from trial to trial and also did not cover everything we looked for like the pertinent outcomes.
