Tag Archives: Kitasato University

Ivermectin Has Antiviral Effect vs. Omicron + All Other Strains?

Did Kowa and Kitasato University prove that ivermectin has antiviral effect against the Omicron variant, and all other strains of COVID-19?

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Ivermectin Has Antiviral Effect vs. Omicron + All Other Strains!

This viral post claims that a Kowa and Kitasato University study just proved that ivermectin has antiviral effect against Omicron and all other mutant strains of COVID-19!

The creators of this viral post also pointed out that this news was written by Reuters. It’s a long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Ivermectin Has ‘Antiviral Effect’ Against Omicron And All Other ‘Mutant Strains’ Of Covid-19

A Japanese pharmaceutical company, Kowa Co, said on Monday that the drug ivermectin has an “antiviral effect” against Omicron and other Covid-19 variants.

Note : I removed the two links in the original message because they lead to fake news websites.

 

Ivermectin Has No Clinical Antiviral Effect vs. Omicron + All Other Strains!

This is yet another piece of fake news created by ivermectin proponent and antivaxxers, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Reuters Screwed Up

Reuters screwed up their reporting, and ivermectin proponents and antivaxxers quickly made use of that.

Reuters published their piece with the title, “Japan’s Kowa says ivermectin effective against Omicron in phase III trial“.

They compounded their mistake by promoting it as such in Twitter :

Japanese trading and pharmaceutical company Kowa Co Ltd said on Monday anti-parasite drug ivermectin has been found effective for treating the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in a Phase III trial.

The truth is Reuters misrepresented the Kowa press release. Reuters later corrected their story, but the damage was done.

Fact #2 : It Was A Non-Clinical Trial

In their press release, Kowa triumphantly reported that their study with Kitasato University showed that ivermectin has an “antiviral effect” against the Omicron variant.

However, that was a non-clinical trial – a lab study. Basically, they ran “test tube” studies of ivermectin on Omicron samples in the lab.

Just for context, a non-clinical trial (also called pre-clinical trial) is often conducted before actual clinical trials on human volunteers.

That’s because clinical trials are expensive and difficult to conduct, consisting of multiple phases :

  • Phase 1 : To study safety and dosage in healthy volunteers
  • Phase 2 : To study efficacy and side effects in a small group of volunteers with the disease
  • Phase 3 : To demonstrate that the drug has clinical benefits in a large group of volunteers, and look for adverse reactions.
  • Phase 4 : To ensure safety and efficacy after approval by health authorities.

What Kowa did is nowhere close to an actual clinical trial, much less a Phase 3 trial.

Fact #3 : Non-Clinical Results Do Not Mean Clinical Effects

It is important to point out that most successful non-clinical drug tests do not end up delivering safe and/or useful drugs that deliver clinical benefits.

That’s because many drugs that work well in the lab either do not deliver clinical benefits in actual human beings, or only work at doses toxic to human beings, or introduce adverse effects when taken at the required doses.

That is why it is critical for all drugs to undergo clinical trials.

I should also point out that soap and alcohol have both been proven to destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests. But that does not mean drinking or eating soap or alcohol will prevent or cure COVID-19.

Read more : Soap vs Sanitiser : Which Works Better Against COVID-19?

Fact #4 : Kowa Confirmed Reuters’ Mistake

Kowa told Newsweek – “We sincerely apologise for any confusion. The press release announced that ivermectin was effective against [the] Omicron strain on in vitro study (i.e. non-clinical study), not in the clinical study. Presumably the original content was replaced with incorrect information in the process of translation.

Fact #5 : Omicron Variant Is Still A SARS-CoV-2 Virus

The Kowa lab test is nothing special – ivermectin was first shown to work against the SARS-CoV-2 in lab experiments by Monash University back in April 2020.

The only difference was Kowa tested it against the Omicron variant. But because the Omicron variant is still a SARS-CoV-2 virus, it would have the same results as previous lab tests.

In other words – the Kowa lab test and press release were basically marketing fluff. In that respect, they scored big.

Fact #6 : Kowa Is Conducting A Phase 3 Trial

Kowa is conducting a Phase 3 trial of their 3 mg ivermectin tablet called K-237 (ClinicalTrial NCT05056883).

It will involve 1000 volunteers, half of whom will receive 0.3 to 0.4 mg/kg of their K-237 drug, once daily for 3 days.

This Phase 3 trial is not expected to be completed until 31 March 2022. That does not necessarily mean it will be successfully completed on time.

After all, Kitasato University’s own CORVETTE-01 Phase 2 study of ivermectin took a year to recruit just 214 volunteers, and has not even concluded despite kicking off in January 2021.

Read more : Did Japan use ivermectin to successfully control COVID-19?

Fact #7 : I-TECH Study Showed No Clinical Benefit

One of the most recent randomised clinical trials of ivermectin was the I-TECH study involving 490 volunteers.

Like many previous clinical trials, it showed that despite ivermectin demonstrating effectiveness in lab tests, it has no obvious clinical benefits.

Read more : I-TECH Study : Does Ivermectin Work Against COVID-19?

Study Findings Results Significance
Symptom Recovery by Day 5 Very similar Not significant (p=0.77)
Progress to Severe COVID-19 IVM : 21.2%
SOC : 17.3%
SOC : -3.9 points
Not significant (p=0.30)
Time to Severe COVID-19 IVM : 3 days (±2.3)
SOC : 2.9 days
(±1.8)
IVM : +0.1 day
Not significant (p=0.68)
ICU Admission NA Not significant
Mechanical Ventilation NA Not significant
Symptom Recovery NA Not significant
Blood Parameters NA Not significant
Chest X-Ray Resolution NA Not significant
Adverse Events 3X more in IVM group Significant
Mortality NA Not significant (p=0.09)

Fact #8 : Ivermectin Clinical Studies Show No Significant Benefit

Here is a meta-analysis of ivermectin RCTs (randomised control trials), with three fraudulent studies removed – Elgazzar, Okomus and Niaee.

Results towards the left suggest a clinical benefit for ivermectin. For the I-TECH study, they used its most promising result – post-study mortality, but even that did not reach clinical significance (p<0.05)

Taken in totality, the latest meta-analysis show that the clinical effect of ivermectin on COVID-19 patients is NOT SIGNIFICANT enough to warrant its use as a treatment.

Fact #9 : Ivermectin Prophylaxis Is Not Cheap

Ivermectin proponents always claim that Big Pharma is against ivermectin because it’s dirt cheap. Ironically, they are now promoting Kowa, which itself is a member of Big Pharma.

While ivermectin is cheap to make and was cheap to buy earlier, its price has been jacked up by the very people promoting it as a cure for COVID-19.

And unlike vaccines, ivermectin is meant to be taken on a regular basis, even daily or with expensive supplements. The end result – ivermectin protocols are far more expensive than COVID-19 vaccines.

The truth is – there is far more money to be made from ivermectin protocols like I-MASK+, than COVID-19 vaccines.

Don’t believe me? Take out your calculator and do the math yourself.

Read more : Is ivermectin prophylaxis cheap? Here is what it really costs!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Did Japan Approve Ivermectin For Use Against COVID-19?

Did Japan approve ivermectin for use against COVID-19?

Take a look at the new viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

 

Claim : Japan Approved Ivermectin For Use Against COVID-19!

People are sharing an article by GNEWS claiming that Japan approved ivermectin for use against COVID-19!

The article link (removed) is often shared with one of these comment :

IVERMECTIN APPROVED IN JAPAN!

Japan Approved Ivermectin For COVID-19!

 

Truth : Japan Did Not Approve Ivermectin For Use Against COVID-19!

The truth is that this is a rehash of earlier fake news. As of 28 August 2021, Ivermectin is NOT approved in Japan for use against COVID-19.

Here are the FACTS…

Fact #1 : Dr. Haruo Ozaki Wanted Off-Label Use Of Ivermectin

Dr. Haruo Ozaki suggested that doctors be allowed to prescribe ivermectin and dexamethasone “off-label” at a press conference on 9 February 2021.

He said, “I would like the government to consider treatment at the level of the family doctor.

On 13 August 2021, he stated that “It is necessary to thoroughly study the clinical trials, but it seems that we are at the stage where it is okay to have the patient give an informed consent, and get permission to use it“.

Dr. Haruo Ozaki may be the Chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, but he can only make suggestions. He is not the Japanese Health Ministry and cannot approve ivermectin for use against COVID-19.

Fact #2 : Ivermectin Still NOT APPROVED In Japan For Use Again st COVID-19

As of 28 August 2021, Japan still does NOT allow Ivermectin to be used to treat or prevent COVID-19.

In their July 2021 edition of COVID-19 treatment guidelines, Ivermectin is still listed in the category of drugs whose “efficacy and safety have not been established“.

Only two drugs have been approved (as of 28 August 2021) by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for use against COVID-19 in Japan :

  • Remdesivir
  • Baricitinib

It is therefore FALSE for anyone to claim that Japan approved ivermectin for use against COVID-19.

Fact #3 : Tokyo Metropolitan Government Does NOT Recommend Ivermectin

Even the Tokyo Metropolitan Government itself does NOT recommend the use of ivermectin.

In their latest 28 June 2021 FAQ on COVID-19, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government states :

There are currently no antiviral drugs that are known to be effective against the coronavirus disease, so treatment aims to relieve symptoms.

In other words, the same Metropolitan government that Dr. Haruo Ozaki advises did NOT accept his suggestion to allow the off-label use of ivermectin.

Fact #4 : Japan Health Ministry Warns Against Taking Ivermectin

On 21 February 2021, the Japanese Health Ministry warned against importing ivermectin for use against COVID-19.

The Health Ministry warned that even if people are taking ivermectin at their own risks, its side effects may not be covered by government relief.

“Generally speaking, no one guarantees what’s inside imported medicines. It’s extremely dangerous to take them on one’s own judgment,” said an official of the ministry’s Tuberculosis and Infectious Diseases Control Division.

Read more : Experts warn of ivermectin causing liver damage!

Fact #5 : Kitasato University Still TRYING To Conduct Ivermectin Trial

Ivermectin was discovered by Satoshi Ōmura of the Kitasato University, and William Campbell of Merck.

So it comes to no surprise that the Kitasato University would try to conduct a clinical study to examine the efficacy of ivermectin against COVID-19.

The study, CORVETTE-01 (Study in COvid-19 Patients With iveRmectin), kicked off on 16 September 2020 with the aim of recruiting 240 participants.

However, as of the latest 24 June 2021 update, the study has not even recruited its target of 240 participants.

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

Fact #6 : Ivermectin Is Not 100% Safe

Ivermectin is generally a safe and well-tolerated drug, but it has not actually been widely used.

Ivermectin proponents like to tell us that 3.7 billion doses of ivermectin have been prescribed over the last 40 years. That’s just 92 million doses a year.

In 2018, 41 billion doses of Atorvastatin were prescribed – 11X more doses in a single year than all ivermectin doses ever sold in the last 40 years.

On top of that, the ivermectin protocols being promoted by FLCCC, Professor Thomas Borody, Dr. Amir Farid and random people on social media have NEVER been tested for safety or efficacy.

So no one really knows whether the dosage or treatment regimen they are advocating are safe, or even work against COVID-19!

In fact, when people started self-medicating with ivermectin, doctors started to see cases of liver damage, which even resulted in at least one liver transplant.

Patients treated with ivermectin was also shown to require invasive mechanical ventilation EARLIER than those who did not take ivermectin.

Read more : Ivermectin + Supplements : Better Than COVID-19 Vaccines?

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Fact Check : Greenlight For Ivermectin In Japan?

Did ivermectin receive the greenlight to be used to treat or prevent COVID-19 in Japan?

Take a look at the new viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

 

Claim : Greenlight For Ivermectin In Japan!

People are sharing an article by GNEWS claiming that the ivermectin received the greenlight to be used to treat and prevent COVID-19 in Japan!

The article link (removed) is often shared with this comment :

Dr. Ozaki declared that ivermectin has demonstrated significant benefits in reducing infections and deaths where the regimen is prophylactically administered for another indication. With the encouraging medical data from ivermectin clinical trials’ reports worldwide, especially the one from FLCCC of US and BIRD of UK, the head of the Metropolitan Medical Association declared that while clinical trials were important, it was time to greenlight doctors to prescribe ivermectin in association with giving the patient informed consent.

 

Truth : Still No Greenlight For Ivermectin In Japan!

The truth is that ivermectin did NOT receive the greenlight to be used to treat or prevent COVID-19 in Japan.

Here are the FACTS…

Fact #1 : Haruo Ozaki Wanted Off-Label Use Of Ivermectin

Dr. Haruo Ozaki suggested that doctors be allowed to prescribe ivermectin and dexamethasone “off-label” at a press conference on 9 February 2021.

He said, “I would like the government to consider treatment at the level of the family doctor.

On 13 August 2021, he stated that “It is necessary to thoroughly study the clinical trials, but it seems that we are at the stage where it is okay to have the patient give an informed consent, and get permission to use it“.

Dr. Haruo Ozaki may be the Chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, but he can only make suggestions. He is not the Japanese Health Ministry and cannot approve ivermectin for use against COVID-19.

Fact #2 : Japan Still Does NOT Allow Ivermectin To Be Used For COVID-19

As of 24 August 2021, Japan still does NOT allow Ivermectin to be used to treat or prevent COVID-19.

In their July 2021 edition of COVID-19 treatment guidelines, Ivermectin is still listed in the category of drugs whose “efficacy and safety have not been established“.

Only two drugs have been approved (as of 24 August 2021) by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for use against COVID-19 in Japan :

  • Remdesivir
  • Baricitinib

It is therefore FALSE for anyone to claim that Japan approved ivermectin for use against COVID-19.

Fact #3 : Tokyo Metropolitan Government Does NOT Recommend Ivermectin

Even the Tokyo Metropolitan Government itself does NOT recommend the use of ivermectin.

In their latest 28 June 2021 FAQ on COVID-19, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government states :

There are currently no antiviral drugs that are known to be effective against the coronavirus disease, so treatment aims to relieve symptoms.

In other words, the same Metropolitan government that Dr. Haruo Ozaki advises did NOT accept his suggestion to allow the off-label use of ivermectin.

Fact #4 : Japan Health Ministry Warns Against Taking Ivermectin

On 21 February 2021, the Japanese Health Ministry warned against importing ivermectin for use against COVID-19.

The Health Ministry warned that even if people are taking ivermectin at their own risks, its side effects may not be covered by government relief.

“Generally speaking, no one guarantees what’s inside imported medicines. It’s extremely dangerous to take them on one’s own judgment,” said an official of the ministry’s Tuberculosis and Infectious Diseases Control Division.

Read more : Experts warn of ivermectin causing liver damage!

Fact #5 : Kitasato University Still TRYING To Conduct Ivermectin Trial

Ivermectin was discovered by Satoshi Ōmura of the Kitasato University, and William Campbell of Merck.

So it comes to no surprise that the Kitasato University would try to conduct a clinical study to examine the efficacy of ivermectin against COVID-19.

The study, CORVETTE-01 (Study in COvid-19 Patients With iveRmectin), kicked off on 16 September 2020 with the aim of recruiting 240 participants.

However, as of the latest 24 June 2021 update, the study has not managed to complete recruiting its target of 240 participants.

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

Fact #6 : Ivermectin Is Not 100% Safe

Ivermectin is generally a safe and well-tolerated drug, but it has not actually been widely used.

Ivermectin proponents like to tell us that 3.7 billion doses of ivermectin have been prescribed over the last 40 years. That’s just 92 million doses a year.

In 2018, 41 billion doses of Atorvastatin were prescribed – 11X more doses in a single year than all ivermectin doses ever sold in the last 40 years.

On top of that, the ivermectin protocols being promoted by FLCCC, Professor Thomas Borody, Dr. Amir Farid and random people on social media have NEVER been tested for safety or efficacy.

So no one really knows whether the dosage or treatment regimen they are advocating are safe, or even work against COVID-19!

In fact, when people started self-medicating with ivermectin, doctors started to see cases of liver damage, which even resulted in at least one liver transplant.

Patients treated with ivermectin was also shown to require invasive mechanical ventilation EARLIER than those who did not take ivermectin.

Read more : Ivermectin + Supplements : Better Than COVID-19 Vaccines?

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Health | Fact CheckTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!