Ivermectin takes center stage

By Modesto P. Sa-onoy

 

The drug Ivermectin that I had been writing about since last year as a cheap, safe and effective treatment for Covid-19 has finally taken center stage as the discussion had gone into the open before the public, in the House of Representatives and public statement of prominent leaders in the country all the way to the President.

To give our readers a better view of this unfolding drama, let me give it chronologically, first with the position of the FDA, the DOH and the WHO in the Philippines. Then we will get to the other side of the issue, a direct challenge from a Filipina doctor in Florida and my own intercepting observations.

In a March 17 news report (Philippine Star) the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration made a blanket statement that “using anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 dangerous”, thus “people should not use Ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasites, as a treatment for COVID-19. Ivermectin is not approved by the FDA for treatment of any viral infection.”

 

The FDA further said that “Ivermectin products in the country for human use are in topical formulations under prescription use only. The drug is used for treatment of external parasites such as head lice and rosacea, a skin condition that causes redness and visible blood vessels in the face.”

On the other hand, registered veterinary products, like Ivermectin “are only approved for use for the prevention of heartworm disease and treatment of internal and external parasites in certain animal species.”

Thus the FDA said “using animal drugs like Ivermectin in humans can cause serious harm as these are “often highly concentrated and can be highly toxic to humans. Any use of Ivermectin veterinary products for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 should be avoided as the benefits and safety for this purpose has not been established” and that “clinical trials are needed to determine whether the drug is safe and effective in treating or preventing COVID-19.”

On his part, the World Health Organization’s representative to the country told the House Committee on Health on March 16 hearing on the possible use of Ivermectin that “the use of Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19 could lead to ‘false confidence’ for those who take it” and warned that there is no significant data yet to prove that the drug, used in veterinary medicine, will work to treat COVID-19 patients.”

The WHO representative sarcastically said, “We could assume that people who drink water are protected from COVID-19. We could assume that people who took Ivermectin are protected. But that’s not evident [and] it needs to be statistically significant.”

However, two members of the House, Rep. Mike Defensor (Anakalusugan party-list) and Rep. Enrico Pineda (1-PACMAN party-list) revealed that they had contracted the COVID-19 but have since recovered because they took Ivermectin. They showed the drug is not toxic or poisonous.

Defensor said he took the Ivermectin when he was infected and claimed he got better after. He also urged the FDA to approve a compassionate use permit for it when Dr. Allan Landrito of the group Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines applies for it.

Our readers will recall I discussed Dr. Landrito’s open letter in this column after he was directed by the FDA, the DOH and the Philippine Medical Association to stop compounding and using Ivermectin on these patients. Dr. Landrito claimed that Ivermectin worked. I also reported here instances of Ivermectin having cured those infected with C-19.

Nobody has been reported dead due to Ivermectin, except in the mind of FDA, WHO and DOH. On the contrary, they all recovered. These agencies should show which human had died of the “toxic” Ivermectin lest they are perceived to have lied.

The WHO representative in the Philippines, Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the opposition to use Ivermectin is not only backed by data from WHO, but also from the European Medical Association, and the US FDA and that like the use of the anti-viral hydroxychloroquine was stopped after the WHO suspended clinical trials for it. He added Ivermectin needs “carefully planned and controlled” clinical trials to prove if it indeed works.”

Continued tomorrow.