Evaluation of the effectiveness of ivermectin in chemoprophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 patients: A narrative review

Many drug trials have failed to produce reliable proof of efficacy in reducing the mortality and transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Apart from corticosteroids, there has been limited evidence on interventions that can prevent transmission and treat COVID-19 patients. Ivermectin has antiviral proper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International public health journal 2023-01, Vol.15 (1), p.57-67
Main Authors: Chitterman, Alvin, Palanichami, Deepak Kumar, La, Anthony, Adedara, Victor, Orlando, Lauren, Keku, Emmanuel O, Fasanmi, Abidemi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiparasitic agents
Antiviral activity
Antiviral drugs
Clinical outcomes
Clinical trials
Coronaviruses
Corticoids
Corticosteroids
COVID-19
Disease prevention
Disease transmission
Drug dosages
Effectiveness
Health care
Intervention
Ivermectin
Medical personnel
Meta-analysis
Mortality
Narratives
Observational studies
Performance evaluation
Prophylaxis
Risk management
RNA polymerase
Search engines
Statistical analysis
Steroids
Viral diseases
Viruses
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Summary:Many drug trials have failed to produce reliable proof of efficacy in reducing the mortality and transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Apart from corticosteroids, there has been limited evidence on interventions that can prevent transmission and treat COVID-19 patients. Ivermectin has antiviral properties and is a safe, orally taken, and affordable drug. Therefore, evaluating ivermectin in chemoprophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 patients would be necessary. This was a narrative review paper to evaluate the effectiveness of ivermectin in chemoprophylaxis and the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Using the Google Scholar database, Medline Plus, and ScienceDirect, a literature search was conducted with the keywords "COVID-19 treatment and prophylaxis" and "ivermectin treatment and prophylaxis for COVID-19 disease." Regular ivermectin use in two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and five observational studies has shown a statistically significantly reduced risk of COVID19 transmission in prophylaxis trials, P < 0.05. Ten RCTs have shown a statistically significant reduction in time to patient recovery, time for viral clearance, and reduced mortality, P < 0.05. The efficacy of two RCTs showed insignificant results P > 0.05. Ivermectin is beneficial in treating and reducing COVID-19 transmissions. However, a meta-analysis is recommended to determine the pooled effect of ivermectin efficacy on COVID-19 patients.
ISSN:1947-4989
2374-1023