Regulators warn against Ivermectin for COVID-19

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have warned against using Ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19. 

Ivermectin has long been used to treat parasites such as scabies and head lice in humans and animals; and has worked in vitro against some viruses. An Australian study in 2020 sparked widespread medical and public interest when it showed Ivermectin could inhibit COVID-19 virus replication within a cell. However, this study was in a laboratory, using monkey cells and a dose higher than ever given to humans. 

The promotion of Ivermectin via the internet has seen a surge in demand, with the TGA detecting an increase in its importation, and reportedly in the US a shortage of animal worming products and increases in poisoning related to Ivermectin. 

Ivermectin is not approved in Australia as an anti-viral treatment, so any prescription would be off label. The TGA states that the consensus view of major regulators and top-tier international medical journals is that there is not strong evidence for its efficacy and safety for treatment or prevention of COVID-19, and this conclusion is also drawn by a Cochrane Review, the National Prescribing Service (NPS), the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), and even the drug's manufacturer, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD). The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce does not recommend use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment outside of clinical trials with appropriate ethical approval.

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