Ivermectin is not recommended for NHS patients with Covid infection. This medication can cause severe side effects and makes no difference to the patient’s condition, according to the medicines watchdog of NHS.
In new guidance issued today, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said the divisive treatment should not be used in hospitalised or mildly ill patients, unless they are participating in a clinical trial.
A review of 18 trials by NICE showed the dewormer drug — which can cost as little as £1.50 per treatment — had no significant effect on Covid hospitalisation or deaths.
Ivermectin can cause severe side effects, and patients may need to stop taking it. NICE describes common side effects as chest discomfort, weakness and difficulty breathing.
Ivermectin is already used in around 20 countries — including Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia — to treat Covid after yielding promising antiviral results in lab studies.
The drug became the go-to anti-vax conspiracy theory theorists’ choice over the summer.
It is not licensed for use in the UK to treat parasitic worms and head lice. It is still available for covid patients through private health care.
Although the US and EU drug watchdogs advised against its use for Covid purposes, private physicians continue to prescribe it.
NICE acknowledges that most studies of ivermectin have failed to produce conclusive results.
As part of their PRINCIPLE study, Oxford University researchers are giving the drug currently to volunteers. This is a randomised controlled study that aims finally to answer any questions regarding the benefits of the drug.
Ivermectin can cost as little as £1.50 per treatment and is licensed in the UK to treat parasitic worms, head lice, scabies and rosacea
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence examined seven studies that looked at Covid-infected individuals who received the treatment in their own homes. According to the trials, people who took ivermectin had a lower risk of being hospitalized than those who didn’t (center graphic). However, 9 people per 1000 per person died after testing positive for the virus within 28 days (left graph). In addition, people who had side effects from ivermectin were three times more likely to have to discontinue their use of the drug (right graphic). NICE stated that it has a low confidence level in the results of all trials.
NICE looked at 11 trials that gave ivermectin to hospitalised Covid patients. Studies showed that people taking the drug died less quickly than those receiving standard care within 28 days (left graphic). Also, people who took the drug had a slightly lower chance of being admitted to ICU (center graphic) or needing ventilation (right graphic). NICE stated that its confidence in data from the trials was ‘low or very low’ because it is inconsistent and imprecise or has a high chance of bias.
NICE reviewed seven studies that examined Covid-infected patients who took ivermectin in their homes.
The number of participants in each study ranged from 24 to 501, with one group in each taking the drug, while the other took a placebo drug or received standard care.
The trials reported that people taking ivermectin were less likely to be hospitalised — between 51 and 55 per 1,000, depending on the dose they received — compared to those who did not take the drug (78 per 1,000).
NICE stated, however that there is no statistically significant benefit to taking this drug.
Also, the trials showed that nine out of every 1,000 people tested positive for the virus died in 28 days.
And slightly more people who took ivermectin required mechanical ventilation (16 per 1,000) compared to those who did not (12 per 1,000).
They were also not statistically significant.
A third of people who stopped taking ivermectin had to do so (33%) versus those with side effects (11%)
NICE reported that patients had to quit taking ivermectin because of adverse reactions’significantly higher’ than those who received normal care and/or a placebo drug.
The FDA warned that the drug might cause rare serious adverse reactions, however studies to date have not been able to detect these.
NICE has listed chest pain, weakness and difficulty breathing among the side effects of drug. In extreme and rare cases, seizures can also occur.
The Medicines Regulator also examined 11 clinical trials in which ivermectin was administered to Covid hospital patients abroad. Every study involved 31-180 volunteers.
In these trials, people who used the drug had a reduced risk of dying within 28-days (36/1000) as compared with those who received standard medical care (87/1000).
The studies found that people taking the drug were less likely to need ventilation or to be admitted into ICU, and they also recovered the virus much faster.
NICE stated that it was concerned about the results because there is a low level of certainty.
Because the Covid-infected patients in other countries were not required to be admitted at the UK hospital, the data could not be applied to UK patients.
It was concluded by the watchdog that ivermectin does not provide statistically significant benefits and therefore it can’t be recommended to any age for use at home or in hospitals.
It also noted that there could be more evidence from ongoing trials like PRINCIPLE.
NICE said its confidence in the data across all the studies is ‘low’ or ‘very low’, because the trials were inconsistent, imprecise, or had a high risk of bias. The watchdog stated that there was a high degree of uncertainty about the drug’s ability to manage Covid.