US Drugs Manufacturer Merck Dissaproves Using Anti-Parasite Drugs to Treat Covid-19

An analytical study by Merck & Co revealed the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 does not pass safety and efficacy standards. Ivermectin is an anti-parasite drug, which Merck developed in partnership with the Kitasato Institute of Japan. The objective of the drug was to treat threadworms, roundworms and improving the overall health of animals.

While the anti-parasite drug was a blockbuster in veterinary medicine, it only came to hit frontlines in the wake of covid-19. On 3rd April 2020, a research study established Ivermectin’s properties were useful in the early treatment of Covid-19.

The lead physicians posted the study on their website and held a press conference at the start of December to testify about early treatments for Covid-19. However, the findings would pull the medical world into two extremely different and opposite views. Those supporting the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 and those that do not.

Trinidad Officials Issuing Free Ivermectin Doses

Nonetheless, the drug manufacturer has come out and warned against the use of the drug in early covid-19 treatment. The US-based drugmaker said it ran an analysis of available data and established the data fails to support the drug’s safety and efficacy.

This follows buzz and media headlines of medical practitioners giving out doses of Ivermectin to Covid-19 patients. For example, Bolivian officials launched a campaign in its capital for donating free doses of the drug to combat the virus. Notwithstanding, the Government of Bolivia had noted the absence of sufficient evidence on the use of the drug to treat the novel coronavirus.

According to WebMD, physicians prescribe Ivermectin to people with a weakened immune system. This helps paralyze parasites such as roundworms. The ability of the drug to cure roundworm complications helps treat severe and life-threatening infections.

The United States has approved the use of Ivermectin under the brand name – Stromectol. Also, note the drug belongs under a group of drugs known as anthelmintics.

Merk seemed concerned that most of the safety data and health records supporting the drug use in treating covid-19 lacked sufficient safety data. The manufacturer went on to caution people from using it beyond its original purpose as an anti-parasitic drug.