Description: Ivermectin has an evidence base for efficacy in Covid-19 treatment but has not yet been approved by the FDA and WHO. Should you buy it or find an alternative drug?

 Common brands: Stromectol, Soolantra, Sklice, Heartgard

Updated: Feb 05, 2022

Ivermectin for COVID-19. Full overview

Ivermectin is a well-known antiparasitic drug in medical community that has been used for over 40 years. It is approved by the FDA and included in the WHO list of life-saving medicines.

Two scientists received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of Ivermectin in 2015. The discovery of this drug has made a huge contribution to the reduction of parasitic infections worldwide.

The broad evidence base for clinical efficacy and high safety record made Ivermectin one of the first drugs to be used for the treatment of Covid-19. After a short period of clinical studies, it was found that using Ivermectin can alleviate the progression of the disease, reduce mortality from Covid-19.

Low price, high pharmacological safety and worldwide availability have done their job. Ivermectin was actively used in many countries during 2020-2021. But the WHO still has not given official permission for the use of this drug for Covid-19. We will consider the potential of Ivermectin and its future use in the context of options as the SARS-COV2 pandemic continues.

Where can you buy Ivermectin for Covid-19?

Since Ivermectin is not officially approved for sale in a local drug-store, the only option is to buy Ivermectin in an online pharmacy.

Medication Name: Ivermectin Ivermectin
Tablet Strength: 12 mg, 6 mg, 3 mg 3 mg
Best Price: from $1.75 per pill from $1.48 per pill
Where to buy Ivermectin?

Now a fairly large number of people buy Ivermectin on the Internet and the demand for it is only growing. In spite of the high demand for Ivermectin online, the prices of the drug have not yet increased.

It is still positioned as a medicine for people, so it should be available to everyone, regardless of income level and country of residence. So, you can buy Ivermectin wherever there is the Internet and the postal service to receive the parcel.

You can buy Ivermectin online both from a smartphone and from a desktop computer. Select the right number of tablets based on your body weight and intended dosage. It is more profitable to buy a large package of Ivermectin at a time, to make a supply for the future. A large package has a lower price and your family can always use the drug, if necessary.

It is completely legal to buy Ivermectin online regardless of the country that you live in. It should be stressed that Ivermectin is officially approved by the FDA and WHO as a medication for parasites. So, at customs, no one will have questions regarding the purpose of buying Ivermectin. The parcel will arrive to you on time.

Use of Ivermectin for Covid-19

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many pharmaceutical laboratories have increased their efforts in the search for drugs that suppress the action of the virus. The main goal of creation of a new drug or search for an existing medicine was to reduce mortality from the effects of Covid-19.

After the first data on the possible effectiveness of Ivermectin for Covid-19 had been received, it was approved for use in some countries: Mexico, Chile, Peru, India, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc. It was widely used during the active stage of the pandemic to reduce mortality, increase the life expectancy of patients and reduce the number of severe cases of the disease.

In some countries, including those listed above, it is no longer officially used, but in the active phase of the pandemic, it helped fight Covid-19.

Although the WHO has not officially approved the use of Ivermectin for Covid-19, it is still being used as an inexpensive equivalent to existing Covid-19 medications. You can buy Ivermectin online in almost any country. The price of Ivermectin is much lower than that of the Pfizer drugs approved by the WHO. This is one of the main selection criteria for most residents of developing countries under the conditions of reduced solvency against the background of the economic crisis due to the pandemic.

Ivermectin is available at the price of just over $2 per tablet. Due to the absence of alternative drugs in this price segment Ivermectin is still a competitive medicine in the markets of the EU, USA and many countries of the world.

Is Ivermectin really effective for Covid-19?

In the early stages of deciding on the use of Ivermectin, about 15 clinical studies were conducted. According to the meta-analysis of these studies, Ivermectin does reduce mortality with the right combination therapy for Covid-19.

It should be noted that Ivermectin is not considered as the main drug for Covid-19. It acts as an addition to the main therapy, for patient maintenance.

The use of Ivermectin at the initial stage of the disease may protect the patient from its progression. The use of this drug significantly reduces the number of patients with severe forms of Covid-19.

And the final conclusion of the meta-analysis of primary clinical studies was that in some cases, Ivermectin can act as a preventive medication. Its use can guarantee a reduction in infection by an average of 62 %. However, this fact has not been confirmed, since large-scale controlled studies have not been conducted. Possibly, it will be confirmed in the future, but at the moment, Ivermectin is used only in patients with a confirmed diagnosis.

All of the data provided by clinical laboratories give confidence in the effectiveness of Ivermectin for Covid-19.

Supposed mechanism of action for Covid-19

It should be noted that there have been conducted no in-depth randomized studies on the mechanism of Ivermectin action for Covid-19. There just wasn’t enough time for this. To have a clear understanding of how Ivermectin acts in reducing patient mortality, more time is needed. So, at the moment, all the data provided by the laboratories are of superficial nature.

It is believed that Ivermectin manifest antiviral activity. It impacts the SARS-CoV-2 virus by interaction with its RNA. It blocks the import of protein into the virus cell, which disrupts the natural processes for the spread of the virus at the cell level. Without sufficient supply of cells with protein, the development of the virus slows down and its pathogenicity decreases.

Moreover, it is believed that Ivermectin blocks the link of SARS-CoV-2 with ACE-2 receptors, which inhibits the development of the infectious process. As you know, the SARS-CoV-2 virus provokes a severe form of pulmonary pneumonia, which is one of the causes of death. The use of Ivermectin can help reduce the likelihood of development of an inflammatory and infectious process.

Pharmacological safety of Ivermectin for Covid-19

The frequency and severity of side effects during treatment was one of the evaluation criteria of the pharmacological safety of Ivermectin for Covid-19.

Ivermectin has always been well tolerated. The same indicators were recorded during the use of this drug in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. The results were presented after the study of 50,000 patients treated with Ivermectin for Covid-19. Of all the patients, less than 1 % had side effects.

At the same time, the side effects that were observed in the patients were mild. As a rule, these were: mild skin allergic reactions (itching, redness), weakness, dizziness, headache, swelling. You should keep it mind that Ivermectin is almost never taken as an independent drug for Covid-19. So, it is impossible to reliably state that it was just this drug that caused the manifestation of adverse reactions.

As a whole, the drug is well tolerated and the potential benefit for the Covid-19 patient far outweighs any risks from side effects.

Ivermectin treatment regimen for Covid-19

Ivermectin is indicated for use in short cycles, not exceeding 5 days. It has a rapid effect on the virus and the result can be evaluated in 2 days from the start of treatment. During clinical studies, there have been evaluated various approaches to taking Ivermectin for Covid-19, and two most effective regimens were found.

Ivermectin dosage for preventive treatment or post-Covid-19 syndrome

  • A patient is prescribed a single dose of 0.2 mg per 1 kg of body weight.
  • It is necessary to take the second dose in 48 hours.
  • Then, for maintenance, you should take the same dose of the drug once in 2 weeks.

*If the body weight of a patient is 60 kg, the treatment dose will be 12 mg = 4 tablets (60*0.2 mg = 12).

Ivermectin dosage for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2

  • A patient is prescribed 0.2 mg per 1 kg of body weight.
  • You should take the drug daily, with an interval of no more than 24 hours.
  • Treatment duration is 5 days.
  • The dosage may be decreased or increased, depending on comorbidities and medications that are prescribed for the treatment of Covid-19.

Each Ivermectin tablet contains 3 mg of the drug. So, you should calculate the dosage according to your body weight and take the resulting number of tablets after the calculation.

It is not recommended to take Ivermectin for more than 5 days in a row. You should do it only in emergency cases, under the supervision of a doctor. But, usually, longer treatment courses are not required.

WHO and FDA position statement

According to the WHO position statement, the use of Ivermectin is only possible within the framework of clinical studies in the context of the treatment for Covid-19. At the moment, the use of this drug in medical practice is not approved.

The lack of information on the safety and efficacy of the pharmacological action of Ivermectin for Covid-19 is one of the reasons for this.

The FDA has the same standpoint regarding Ivermectin. The experts of this organization refer to the fact that there is no clear evidence base regarding the effectiveness against Covid-19. At the same time, clinical studies are still in progress and there is hope that after these studies, the FDA will change its position regarding Ivermectin.

The position of the WHO and FDA influenced the policy regarding Ivermectin in most countries of the world. It has been officially removed from the list of medicines approved for the treatment of Covid-19 and cannot be sold in drug-stores for the treatment of Covid-19 without official approval.

At the same time, the WHO and FDA do not change their position in relation to Ivermectin as an antiparasitic agent. It is one of the best medicines for the treatment of parasitic infections, which is indispensable in medical practice.

Whom should you trust?

We cannot say whether one of the above positions is correct or not. The WHO and FDA are the agencies responsible for the life and health of people. They can’t approve a medication without a full evidence base. As, in case anything happens, all responsibility for the lives and health of people will be on them.

At the same time, you should take into account the already conducted clinical studies and the experience of using Ivermectin in practice. The only problem with these data is that there are very few of them. So, everyone should make an independent decision on taking Ivermectin for Covid-19.

Brief information about Ivermectin

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic medicine that has been used since 1981. It is used as a first-line drug for severe parasitic infections. Ivermectin helped fight the pandemic of scabies, river blindness and many other diseases.

Pharmacological action mechanism:

  • Ivermectin gets into parasite cells and disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses;
  • As a result of CNS disturbances, parasites are paralyzed and die very quickly;
  • Changes take place not only in mature parasites, but also in parasite eggs, so the likelihood of repeated infection is very low.

Indications for use:

  • Pediculosis;
  • Scabies;
  • River blindness;
  • Trichocephalosis;
  • Ascaridosis;
  • Elephantiasis;
  • Strongyloidosis.

Ivermectin is used not only for people, but also in veterinary medicine.

Who should not take Ivermectin:

  • Pregnant women;
  • Children under 5 years of age;
  • Breastfeeding women;
  • Patients with severe organic CNS damages;
  • Patients with meningitis.