New positive ivermectin evidence

A Pilot, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial of a Single Oral Dose of Ivermectin for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2

People who took one small oral dose of ivermectin after exposure,

took longer to test positive and had more time alive and free of symptoms.

Multiple reports from in vitro infectious models document Ivermectin’s antiviral properties

Ivermectin has broad-spectrum antiviral activity.

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled

Single oral dose of Ivermectin as prophylaxis for SARS-CoV-2

Trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a single oral low dose of Ivermectin

Ability to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Ability to reduce symptoms if infection did occur?

Methods

Asymptomatic community-dwelling adults

Enrolled within 72 h of close contact with a case of SARS-CoV-2.

Single oral 200 µg/kg dose of Ivermectin or placebo.

65Kg woman given 13mg

80Kg man given 16mg

The primary outcome

Conversion to a positive PCR or RAT test within 14 days of close contact.

Secondary outcomes

(for those who tested positive)

Days alive free of symptoms in the 14 and 28 days following ivermectin

Days from close contact until a positive PCR or RAT

Results

N = 536 (86 met inclusion criteria and were randomised)

68 adhered and were included in the analysis.

Ivermectin arm

11/36 tested positive

Placebo arm

11/32 tested positive

So, ivermectin did not prevent people testing positive

Days from close contact until a positive PCR or RAT

Increased by 2.3 days in ivermectin group.

P = 0.033

So, ivermectin lengthened the incubation period

Viral load needed to precipitate clinical disease took longer to develop – indicating an antiviral effect.

Infection may have been prevented from primary contact, - indicating an antiviral effect.

Days alive free of symptoms

Increased by 2.5 days in ivermectin group.

P = 0.036

So ivermectin delayed onset of symptoms in people who tested positive

(Longer asymptomatic period)

Controlling included

Age, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, body mass index, hypertension, lung disease

Conclusions

We did not demonstrate that a single oral low dose of Ivermectin administered to asymptomatic adults within 72 h of close contact with a case of

SARS-CoV-2 prevents conversion to a positive PCR or RAT.

(may have done with a larger sample size)

Amongst those who did convert to a positive PCR or RAT

Ivermectin significantly lengthened the time from close contact to conversion

Ivermectin increased the number of days alive free of symptoms

More details

Initiation of this trial in late 2021

Discovery in 1975

Massively used around the world

Nobel Prize in 2015

Very low incidence of serious adverse side effects

No instance of resistance reported in over 25 years.

Ivermectin can bind to and inhibit the nuclear transport roles of the host importin α (IMPα) protein,

which is known to mediate the nuclear import of various viral proteins and key host factors.

Other quite distinct antiviral actions of Ivermectin have been proposed

High (therapeutic) concentrations collect in the lungs, stable for more than 30 days in cattle

Trial was based on the strong clinical retrospective association of statistically significantly lower mortality in patients who received oral Ivermectin (200 μg/kg) compared with usual care

Ivermectin patients 15% mortality

Controls, 25.2% mortality

In subjects with severe pulmonary disease

Ivermectin patients, mortality 38.8%

Controls, 80.7% mortality