COVID-19 and Ivermectin: Potential threats associated with human use

Zaheer, Tean; Pal, Kaushik; Abbas, Rao Zahid; Torres, María del Pilar Rodríguez

Drugs re-purposing due to COVID-19 has declared a number of useful candidates for treatment and prevention of the virus. Ivermectin (IVM) has gained much popularity due to a strong background of magical applications against a broad spectrum of pathogens. The in vitro studies of ivermectin have shown promise, the thorough clinical trials of its efficacy in the treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 are still warranted. Useful strategies for analyzing projected use of IVM in human coronaviruses might be developed. This may be done by concluding ongoing clinical trials and culturing lessons from IVM usage in veterinary practice. The potential toxicity and careful dosage analyses are urgently required before declaring it as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug candidate. This paper overviews the background and potential threats associated with the off-label use of IVM as prophylactic drug or treatment option against COVID-19.