Oxford University explores Ivermectin as potential Covid-19 treatment

The University of Oxford said that it was testing ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug as a potential treatment for the Covid-19, as a part of British government-backed study aims to help recoveries in non-hospital places, reported agency Reuters.

The university said that Ivermectin resulted in a reduction of virus replication in laboratory studies. Additionally it said that a small pilot revealed administering the drug early could reduce viral load and the duration of symptoms in several patients with mild Covid-19.

In January, Dubbed PRINCIPLE, the British study showed that antibiotics azithromycin and doxycycline were usually ineffective against the early-stages of Covid-19, the report added.

While using ivermectin in Covid-19 patients is not recommended by the World Health Organization, and European and US regulators have recommended, in some countries it is used to treat the illness, including India, the report said.

“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,” said co-lead investigator of the trial Chris Butler.

The university added people with serious liver conditions, who are on blood-thinning medication warfarin, or undergoing any other treatments known to interact with ivermectin, will be excluded from the study, according to Reuters.

The university said Ivermectin is the seventh medication to be investigated in the study, and currently it is being assessed along with the antiviral drug favipiravir, it said.

Latest Indian news

Popular Stories

Latest Video