The revived misinformation about ivermectin this time is based on a misinterpretation of the print on the website of the American Institute of Health and the conclusion about the alleged approval of ivermectin for the treatment of covid.This institution, on the other hand, denies these allegations and reminds that the position on ivermectin has not changed — the use of this antiparasitic for the treatment of covid is not recommended.The fact is that ivermectin is not approved for the treatment of covid by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and most health experts and agencies do not recommend the use of the antiparasitic drug for this purpose.The situation is the same in Serbia, prof. points out for Istinomer.Dr. Radan Stojanović, professor of pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade."Ivermectin is a well-known antiparasitic drug, it is used systemically and locally in human and veterinary medicine, however, the effectiveness of its application in the therapy of covid patients has not been proven," says Stojanović."The bright spot is that in Serbia we got vaccines and anti-covid medicines on time, while we failed in the field of educating the population," concludes the professor.Stojanović points out that earlier there was information that ivermectin was unofficially used and prescribed beyond the recommendations on efficiency and safety, especially among opponents of vaccination."When we talk about official medical protocols — we're talking about British and American protocols for covid.However, in none of these protocols is ivermectin recommended for the treatment or prophylaxis of this disease.The exception is application in clinical trials", says our interlocutor.Therefore, the protocols are explicit, Professor Stojanović confirms, ivermectin, outside of clinical trials, is not recommended in the therapy of patients suffering from covid.Stojanović, however, adds that it is known that ivermectin has certain anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties."These characteristics made it an interesting candidate for covid therapy.However, clinical trials, as the crowning proof of efficacy and safety, have not shown the benefit of ivermectin as a prophylaxis or as a drug against the SARS-CoV-2 virus," he explains.It is senseless to make an icon from ivermectin, but not from any other "candidate" that is in clinical trials, Prof.Stojanović.An interesting example is the inhaled steroid budesomide.As Stojanović says, dust is not raised around this drug (for good reason) as it is for ivermectin, even though they are in a similar status of testing."One should stick to the official and proven protocol of the relevant medical institutions," points out Stojanović in an interview with Istinomer.Local advocates of ivermectin and opponents of vaccination shared yet another false information about the controversial anti-parasitic drug, without any verification."Believe it or not, after two years of censorship, suppression, threats to medical licenses, and relentless smear campaigns as an "anti-horse parasite," the HUMAN drug ivermectin has risen from the ashes and quietly made its way to the antiviral COVID.list of therapies on the NIH website.Unfortunately, 2 years too late," the Facebook posts state.Most of the posts from our speaking area share identical text and a screenshot of the US Institutes of Health (NIH) website.It is a page with information about antiviral therapies that are being evaluated as possible treatments for coronavirus infection.However, that page does not state that the NIH recommends ivermectin for the treatment of covid."The commission does not recommend the use of ivermectin in the treatment of the disease COVID-19, except in clinical trials," clearly states the warning on the NIH page devoted to ivermectin.Additionally, the controversial ivermectin entry on the NIH site is not new.Moreover, the Internet Archive of the Antiviral Therapies page on the American Institutes of Health website shows that data on the most recent studies of ivermectin were published in June 2021."There are insufficient data for the Panel on the Treatment of COVID-19 (Commission) to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 disease," read the conclusion on the February 2021 NIH page. By updating the page on April 29, 2022. the current guideline was added, according to which it is not recommended to treat covid with ivermectin.Officials of the American Institute of Health point out that the claim about the approval of a controversial drug for the treatment of covid is dangerous misinformation.Dr. H. Clifford Lane, director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, confirmed (source: AP news) that the Committee that oversees guidelines for the treatment of Covid (which includes Dr. Lane) does not recommend ivermectin, except for assessment and clinical trials."Unlike drugs with proven effectiveness, judging by the large number of findings, ivermectin simply does not work in the therapy for covid."Our concern is not about the safety of the drug, but about its lack of efficacy," Lane said.The NIH, in its official response, once again denied the use of ivermectin for human use in covid therapy.(Source: Politifact)In the guidelines for ivermectin — no changes — although the site, which has come under scrutiny this time, is regularly updated with new data, if available."The inclusion (and monitoring) of ivermectin on the covid treatment guidelines page is not new.It is important to point out once again that the NIH Committee on the Treatment of Covid-19 advises against the use of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.This recommendation largely depends on the results of recently published randomized and controlled trials.The primary results of these trials showed that the use of ivermectin in the treatment of covid had no clinical benefit", according to the American agency.The latest results of extensive research on ivermectin as a covid drug have shown that the drug is not effective in treating SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.Among more than 1,500 participants, 47 percent of whom received at least two doses of the covid vaccine, those who received ivermectin recovered in an average of 11 days.By comparison, those given a placebo drug recovered in an average of 11.5 days.Research published on the NIH guidelines for the treatment of covid suggests that for sufficient effectiveness of ivermectin in the treatment of the corona virus, a dose at least 100 times higher than that usually recommended in human medicine would be required.Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug.Approved for human use in 1987, this drug is most commonly prescribed for the systemic treatment of infections caused by parasitic worms and worms.With local application, ivermectin helps in the treatment of certain skin diseases, such as rosacea.However, in the first months of the pandemic, ivermectin is becoming popular in anti-vaccine circles as a form of alternative treatment and prevention of covid, despite the lack of scientific evidence that this drug is safe and effective.Due to the increasing demand for ivermectin at the beginning of the pandemic, a number of citizens bought ivermectin formulated for animal (horse) use, which led to an increase in cases of poisoning with this drug.In an August 2021 CDC statement, it stated: “Clinical trials and observational studies evaluating the use of ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 have provided insufficient evidence for the US Institute of Health Panel on the Treatment of Covid-19 to recommend its use.The results of adequately conducted and well-designed clinical trials are needed to provide more concrete evidence-based guidelines on the role of ivermectin in the treatment of covid-19 disease.On the other hand, the CDC recommends the use of ivermectin as a treatment for parasitic infections, such as strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, infections known as river blindness.Although there is no antiviral drug that targets SARS-CoV-2 exclusively, a growing number of alternative antiviral treatments have been identified to treat this infection.In late December 2021, the FDA approved emergency use of the first oral antiviral drugs to treat covid patients — Paxlovid (ritonavir-boosted normatrelvir) and molnupiravir.Both drugs are allowed for patients who are in the high-risk group who may develop more severe forms of the disease.Therapy for the mentioned drugs is recommended in the earliest stage of the disease, and no later than five days after the onset of symptoms.Professor Dr. Radan Stojanović says that all approved drugs are available in Serbia, including neutralizing monoclonal antibodies.Although potentially revolutionary for the treatment of covid, Paxlovid and molnupiravir cannot be a substitute for vaccination and come with certain risks.Paxlovid, for example, is not recommended for kidney patients, while molnupiravir is not recommended for use in pregnancy.The only intravenous antiviral drugs for Covid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are bebtelomivab and remdesivir.Remdesivir is used as part of the therapy of hospitalized patients, and based on randomized, controlled clinical trials that showed a faster recovery time and statistically significant chances of improving the condition of hospitalized patients with a more severe form of covid.Although approved for use in clinical trials, the US NIH still does not recommend ivermectin as part of its guidelines for the treatment of covid.The position of the official health authorities is based on studies that have shown that the lack of relevant evidence that ivermectin can have a significant impact on treatment and recovery time from covid.© 2021 Istinomer, All rights reservedIstinomer.rs uses cookies for better insight into the needs and requirements of users.Google Analytics is the only necessary cookie that we use, and users are enabled to disable cookies.