Medical experts say this parasite-fighting drug shouldn’t be used to prevent or treat COVID-19. Here are the side effects and signs of toxicity you should know about.
Developed in the 1970s, ivermectin is sold under the brand names Stromectol, Soolantra, and Sklice. It’s an anthelmintic drug, which means it fights parasites. It can be found in heartworm medications for dogs, for instance.
Millions of people take ivermectin at least once or twice a year to fight the parasite, a strategy that has helped eliminate it in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Guatemala. Almost all cases are now in 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 145 million people were treated in Africa in 2017 according to the World Health Organization.
“Things that kill viruses don’t kill bacteria, things that kill bacteria don’t kill worms, things that kill worms don’t wind up killing viruses,” said Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.Even though all medications have a potential for side effects, the risks of taking a parasite-killing drug may be higher than others, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, epidemiologist and director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mount Sinai Downtown in New York.
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