New COVID-19 Drug, Same Playbook: Like Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin Lacks 'Strong Data'

摘要

The FDA is clear about the use of ivermectin, a drug used primarily to treat intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, as a potential therapy for COVID-19: It is not approved.Moreover, the drug is not currently recommended by any professional organization. However, the pressures of the pandemic have forced doctors worldwide to make decisions they might not normally make. The on-again, off-again use of hydroxychloroquine is emblematic of that phenomenon.With hydroxychloroquine effectively sidelined due to insufficient data showing its efficacy, another cheap, commonly available antiparasitic drug, Stromectol (ivermectin, Merck), is being used widely before the data show that it is ready for prime time.