Researchers in Australia report that Ivermectin, an FDA-approved drug commonly used to treat parasites, appears to be effective in treating the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19). The drug is widely available and can be "repurposed" for this application, doctors said.
The ScienceDirect journal,*Antiviral Research, published an article by a group of Australian researchers from Monash University in Melbourne reporting that Ivermectin appears to be effective at inhibiting the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
"We report here that Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic previously shown to have broad-spectrum antiviral activity*in vitro, is an inhibitor of the causative virus (SARS-CoV-2)," the researchers write. "Ivermectin, therefore, warrants further investigation for possible benefits in humans."
The leader of the research team, Dr. Kylie Wagstaff issued a statement, saying, "Ivermectin is very widely used and seen as a safe drug. We need to figure out now whether the dosage you can use it at in humans will be effective—that's the next step," Newsweek magazine reported.*"We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it...
Common Anti-Parasite Drug May Kill Coronavirus in Under 48 Hours, Say Researchers