The scab remedy ivermectin could help against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus: with a single dose, the virus was killed within 48 hours.
Australian scientists found that a single dose of the Ivermectin scab agent could kill the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus within 48 hours – in a cell culture. The right dosage for humans must now be found to ensure that the dose that the virus removed in vitro is also safe for humans.
The research involved the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Ivermectin scab agent could help against coronavirus
Dr. BDI’s Kylie Wagstaff: “We found that a single dose can remove essentially all of the viral RNA within 48 hours and that even after 24 hours there is a really significant reduction.” The scab remedy ivermectin could help against the coronavirus.
Ivermectin is an oral antiparasitic drug used in Germany, which the Australian scientists have been studying for ten years. They showed that it was effective in vitro against a wide range of viruses such as HIV, dengue, influenza and the Zika virus.
Host cells can better eliminate virus
Although the mechanism by which ivermectin acts on the virus is not known, its effects on other viruses are likely to prevent the virus from inhibiting host cells’ ability to eliminate it, explains Dr. Wagstaff.
If ivermectin were given to SARS-CoV-2 patients at the start of the infection, it could help limit viral load, prevent severe disease, and limit human-to-human transmission.
Clinical tests should now follow
The use of ivermectin to combat COVID-19 would depend on the results of further pre-clinical testing and ultimately clinical trials, with funding urgently needed to continue, said researcher Wagstaff. The study was published in the journal Antiviral Research.
A meta-analysis had shown that high-dose ivermectin has a safety profile comparable to that of standard low-dose treatment, although there is insufficient data to draw conclusions about the safety profile in pregnancy.
Photo: Adobe Stock / MQ-Illustrations
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