Latest Ivermectin COVID-19 Study : What Does It Really Say?

The latest study on the effectiveness of Ivermectin on COVID-19 was just published in The Lancet.

Take a look at what it really said about how effective Ivermectin is in treating COVID-19!

 

Latest Ivermectin COVID-19 Study On The Lancet

Alejandro Krolewiecki et. al. just published a research paper in The Lancet called “Antiviral effect of high-dose ivermectin in adults with COVID-19: A proof-of-concept randomized trial“.

It is being heralded as more evidence that ivermectin works against COVID-19.

Let’s take a closer look at this study, and find out what it REALLY says about ivermectin and COVID-19…

 

Latest Ivermectin COVID-19 Study : What Does It Really Say?

For those who want a simple TLDR summary of this ivermectin study :

  • This was a small pilot study of just 45 patients who were hospitalised with COVID-19.
  • It provided additional evidence that high-dose ivermectin of up to 600 µg/kg of ivermectin for 5 days is safe.
  • Patients responded differently to high-dose ivermectin – about half had low plasma levels, and the other half had high plasma levels.
  • Low plasma levels of ivermectin showed no ability to reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load
  • High plasma levels of ivermectin can reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load at a higher rate.
  • High-dose IVM did not improve clinical symptoms, signs or laboratory parameters.
  • High-dose IVM did not improve clinical outcomes at Day 7 and Day 30.

This study provided some in-vivo evidence to back up earlier in-vitro (in the lab) studies that showed ivermectin inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 in African green monkey kidney cells.

While the study authors believe that the results warrant further research, it is really another nail in the coffin for ivermectin’s efficacy against COVID-19.

Despite tripling the standard dose and using it for 5 doses (instead of a single dose), there was NO IMPROVEMENT in the symptoms or outcome of any of the patient in this study.

Even though the study is small, it helps to confirm that ivermectin’s antiviral property is dependent on plasma level (not dose), and that it appears to be safe when taken as a triple dose for 5 days.

For those who want more details, here is a summary of the Krolewiecki et. al. study on using high-dose ivermectin in adults with COVID-19 :

Purpose Of This Study

  • To evaluate the antiviral activity of high-dose ivermectin
  • To evaluate the safety profile of high-dose ivermectin
  • To evaluate the potential clinical utility of ivermectin in COVID-19
  • To evaluate the relationship between IVM plasma concentration and COVID-19 viral load

Study Design

  • Pilot study of 45 participants, recruited between 18 May and 9 September, 2020.
  • Patients were between 18 and 69 years of age, and had RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19.
  • Patients were hospitalised but did not require intensive care.
  • Patients had up to 5 days of COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Patients did not use any other drugs with potential activity against COVID-19, like immunomodulators, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, remdesivir and azithromycin.
  • The trial was randomised, but not blinded to both patients or the team treating them.

Ivermectin Dose

  • Patients in the IVM group received 600 µg/kg of ivermectin for 5 days.
  • Available data on ivermectin showed that 600 µg/kg is safe when taken for up to 3 days.

Note : Standard treatment for strongyloidiasis or onchocerciasis is a single dose of ivermectin at 200 µg/kg.

Study Results

  • The high-dose, multi-day ivermectin treatment was well-tolerated, with grade 1 and grade 2 side effects. The most common side effect was rashes of up to 24 hours (10%).
  • Overall, there was NO difference in viral load between the control group and the IVM group.

  • Patients who received high-dose ivermectin had different plasma levels
    – 11 out of 20 (55%) had less than 160 ng/mL
    – 9 out of 20 (45%) had over 160 ng/mL
  • Patients with lower IVM plasma level (<160 ng/mL) had slightly lower viral load reduction than the control group.
  • Only patients with higher IVM plasma level (>160 ng/mL) had a “statistically significant” higher viral load reduction than the control group.

  • This is arguably the most significant finding in this study – patients with higher IVM plasma level (>160 ng/mL) showed significantly higher viral decay rate.

  • There were no differences in clinical symptoms, signs or laboratory parameters between the control and IVM groups.
  • There was no significant difference in clinical outcomes at Day 7 and Day 30 between the control and IVM groups.

 

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