Cape Town - The uncontrolled public use of ivermectin for Covid-19 treatment could pose potential health risks.
This was stated during a public webinar, “What the ivermectin debate has revealed to us in a time of pandemic", hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
UKZN School of Clinical Medicine Healthcare scientist professor Colleen Aldous said: “The ivermectin debate has polarised both the lay and scientific community and has damaged the relationship between science and society.”
Professor Aldous said while scientists differ among themselves on the drug’s effectiveness in treating Covid-19, the public already has access to it.
UKZN Associate professor in dermatology, professor Anisa Mosam said ivermectin was originally discovered in Japanese soil in the 1970s by professor Satoshi Ōmura and is one of the most broadly used drugs in global history.
Ivermectin was originally used as a veterinary drug in the treatment of livestock and pets. In 1988, it was then used in humans for onchocerciasis (river blindness) in mainly impoverished communities, said Mosam.
To date, 3.7 billion doses have been administered globally.
Mosam said, “Some have actually cited it as an ideal drug in the sense that it's cheap, safe, well tolerated, it can be given in a single dose, has a broad spectrum of activity and there has been no drug resistance despite its use as monotherapy.”
Ivermectin has anti-cancer, antiviral and antibacterial properties and a number of viruses including SARS have been treated using it. It is also used to treat scabies in humans.
In onchocerciasis treatment, the majority of adverse effects were mild and included dizziness, rash, fever, myalgia, malaise and headaches. Severe reactions documented were lethargy, confusion and coma.
It is not recommended for children under the weight of 15kgs or less than five years due to the lack of data and the potential for neurotoxicity and is not for use in pregnant women.
Public Health and Communication Specialist Dr Warren Parker said, “People are justifiably worried about the state of the pandemic. We’ve also seen because of that, there has also been an uncontrolled public use of ivermectin and in a sense you can use it as a piece of evidence that people don’t trust the epidemic response. They feel that they need to take measures themselves.”
Parker said there existed a body of evidence in favour of ivermectin use for Covid-19 treatment. This includes a high safety profile, compassionate use is justifiable, can be safely administered under medical supervision, numerous peer reviewed studies affirms positive effects, and it fits the bioethical rationale for Covid-19 treatment, among others.
Parker said the uncontrolled use of the drug poses health risks. “So people are using a veterinary product, we’ve got no control over the dosing and it can be unsafe if you use the incorrect doses, the incorrect product or a fake product.”
Cape Argus