Covid-19: The dangerous hype about the anti-wormer drug Ivermectin

Covid-19 in Austria
Anti-wormer In Demand: The Dangerous Ivermectin Hype

There is great demand in Austrian pharmacies for the anti-wormer drug ivermectin, which is used in animals and humans to combat infections with parasites, including worms and mites. In certain circles, the agent has long been traded as an alleged insider tip against the corona virus. But there is no scientific evidence that the agent is effective against Covid-19. On the other hand, if taken incorrectly or carelessly, the drug can lead to severe poisoning, warn health authorities.

“Ivermectin is always sold out, even though it requires a prescription,” says Thomas Veitschegger, President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists on the portal. “Upper Austria news“Quoted. Many people take the drug” completely wrong “.” They take the much higher dose that is actually intended for horses, “said the pharmacist.” There have been poisonings. ” Side effects of the agent can also be fever, itchy skin, edema, headache, tiredness, vomiting and / or nausea, liver dysfunction and asthmatic attacks.

A spokesman for the Upper Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists confirmed to the star the great demand, but expressed reluctance to the question of whether the product was actually sold out in the region at the moment. He referred to the possibility that individual pharmacies could still have the drug in stock.

It was only at the beginning of November that Herbert Kickl, the vaccine-skeptical boss of the right-wing FPÖ, brought up the drug as a treatment option for Covid-19. Kickl is now sick with the corona virus himself, like he did on Monday on his Facebook page announced. In Austria, the number of corona cases is currently very high. The seven-day incidence recently climbed over 950 new infections per 100,000 population. Clinics are on the verge of their limits.

Ivermectin: Not a miracle cure for Corona

From a scientific and medical point of view, the hype surrounding the drug should be viewed critically. Although deliver Laboratory tests Evidence that ivermectin can inhibit the spread of the coronavirus. That alone does not mean, however, that the product also works outside the laboratory and that patients benefit from taking it. The antiviral drug hydroxychloroquine, which was hyped at the beginning of the pandemic, was also initially available Data from laboratory studiesthat looked promising. In the subsequent clinical studies the drug flopped.

An analysis by the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration published in July found no evidence that ivermectin improved the condition of Covid-19 sufferers or reduced the number of deaths compared to standard treatment or placebo. Based on the available data, the drug cannot prevent Sars-CoV-2 infection either. The meta-analysis included the data from 14 studies with a total of 1678 test persons.

The Cochrane research team came to this conclusionthat the evidence so far “does not justify the use of ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of Covid-19”. However, the scientists pointed out that further investigations were necessary, since previous studies were comparatively small and of methodologically limited quality.

Guideline against the use of ivermectin

A recently updated guideline on the inpatient therapy of Covid-19 patients speaks out against the use of ivermectin in hospitalized patients. The use of the agent is “uncertain”, and there are also potentially toxic effects and interactions with other drugs, it says as a justification.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) emphasizesthat ivermectin is not approved for the treatment of Covid-19 and should be used “only in the context of controlled clinical studies”. Otherwise, serious poisoning could occur in the event of uncontrolled use.

Also the US drug agency FDA warns of the dangers of careless ingestion: “You may have heard that it is okay to take large amounts of ivermectin,” the FDA website states. “It is not okay.”

In the USA there has recently been a sharp increase observed in ivermectin prescribing numbers. At the same time, emergency calls increased because of possible poisoning in connection with the drug.

Conclusion

A benefit of ivermectin against Covid-19 has not been proven according to the current state of knowledge, on the other hand there is a risk of serious side effects if taken carelessly. Health authorities and doctors therefore strongly advise against taking it outside of clinical studies.

The sparse data situation for Ivermectin is offset by extensive data on the benefits and safety of Covid-19 vaccines – for example a study by the French Epi-Phare Institute with data on around 7.7 million fully vaccinated people aged 50 and over and just as many unvaccinated people. The vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca reduced the number of expected serious disease courses in this age group by more than 90 percent.

Sources: Cochrane / Robert Koch Institute (RKI) / Yellow list

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