The drug in question, ivermectin, would have killed the SARS-CoV-2 virus in less than 48 hours.
It has been widely used for decades, especially to combat lice, scabies and other infections caused by parasites.
According to the study to be published shortly by the medical journal Antiviral Research, ivermectin prevented the virus from reproducing.
The researchers infected cells with SARS-CoV-2. A single dose of ivermectin greatly reduced the activity of the virus after 24 hours; after 48 hours, the virus had been eliminated.
One of the study authors explained that ivermectin appears to target a molecule that the virus needs to reproduce. Ivermectin would therefore slow the proliferation of the virus enough to allow the immune system to take over.
In previous studies, ivermectin had demonstrated efficacy against diseases like dengue and an ability to curb infections similar to COVID-19, such as West Nile virus.
More tests are now needed to check if ivermectin works as well in vivo.
Anyone with access to ivermectin, including the veterinary version of the product, should not attempt self-care.
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