Oxford University Explores Antiparasitic Drug Ivermectin as COVID-19 Treatment

(Reuters) – The University of Oxford said on Wednesday it was testing ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, as a possible treatment for COVID-19, in a study supported by the British government that aims to help non-hospital recoveries.

Ivermectin has resulted in reduced replication of the virus in laboratory studies, the university said, adding that a small pilot has shown that early administration of the drug can reduce viral load and the duration of symptoms in some patients with mild COVID-19.

Dubbed PRINCIPE, the British January study showed that the antibiotics azithromycin and doxycycline were generally ineffective against COVID-19 at an early stage.

While the World Health Organization and European and American regulators have recommended that ivermectin not be used in patients with COVID-19, it is used to treat the disease in some countries, including India.

“By including ivermectin in a large-scale trial as PRINCIPLE, we hope to generate strong evidence to determine the effectiveness of treatment against COVID-19, and whether there are any advantages or disadvantages associated with its use,” trial co-principal investigator Chris Butler said.

People with severe liver disease, taking warfarin, a blood thinner drug, or taking other treatments known to interact with ivermectin, will be excluded from the trial, the university added.

Ivermectin is the seventh treatment to be investigated in the trial, and is currently being evaluated with the antiviral drug favipiravir, the university said.