Malaysian researchers found that treatment with the antiparasitic drug ivermectin did not prevent patients with COVID-19 became seriously ill in a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The researchers stated that their results do not support the use of ivermectin for COVID-19 patients.
The study involved 490 patients with mild to moderate illness in 20 hospitals and a COVID-19 quarantine center in Malaysia. All received standard care, while half of the group also received ivermectin.
According to the researchers, severe disease developed in 21.6% of patients who received ivermectin and 17.3% of those who received standard care alone. They defined severe illness as the need for oxygen to help breathe.
According to the study, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in rates of ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation, or death.
Both doctors and patients knew which group they had been assigned to, and this type of “open” trial design could have introduced bias, potentially overestimating the drug’s effect, the researchers said.
The use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 is currently being investigated in a UK trial led by the University of Oxford. The researchers have said they do not want to comment until they have results to report.
Source: Gestion
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