A health worker shows a bottle of Ivermectin.
Photographer: Luis Robayo / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Luis Robayo / AFP / Getty Images
Researchers at the University of Oxford are planning a large-scale trial of a low-cost drug that could dramatically reduce deaths from Covid-19 worldwide, according to a report in the Times.
The goal is to find treatments that can be used at home, soon after symptoms appear, to catch the disease early and prevent serious illness.
This batch of drugs will contain ivermectin, which has been used for decades to treat livestock and people infected with parasitic worms, the paper reported. Proponents call it a “miracle cure,” but others say it has not been properly evaluated.
Although the drug has potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, “there is a gap in the data,” Chris Butler, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and co-chief of the trial, told the Times. “There hasn’t really been a severe trial.”
The World Health Organization recently suggested it has encouraging effects, the paper said. The drug is approved in the UK as a topical remedy for skin infections and inflammation.