Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ivermectin Fails To Guard People With Covid From Hospitalization: Study
The New York Times: Ivermectin Does Not Reduce Risk Of Covid Hospitalization, Large Study Finds
The anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which has surged in popularity as an alternative treatment for Covid-19 despite a lack of strong research to back it up, showed no sign of alleviating the disease, according to results of a large clinical trial published on Wednesday. The study, which compared more than 1,300 people infected with the coronavirus in Brazil who received either ivermectin or a placebo, effectively ruled out the drug as a treatment for Covid, the study’s authors said. “There’s really no sign of any benefit,” said Dr. David Boulware, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota. (Zimmer, 3/30)
Bloomberg: Ivermectin Failed To Cut Covid Hospitalizations In Large Study
Scientists in Brazil who followed more than 1,300 patients assigned to take either the drug or a placebo for three days also found that ivermectin treatment didn’t help with a number of other health measures such as viral clearance after a week, speed of recovery or risk of death. The study results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Fourcade, 3/31)
Fortune: Study Finds Ivermectin, The Horse Drug Joe Rogan Championed As A COVID Treatment, Does Nothing To Cure The Virus
When doctors and scientists scoured for a cure to COVID-19 during the early days of the pandemic, initial studies suggested a number of potential cures that turned out to be bogus. But few dubious solutions have had the staying power of ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used to treat large farmyard animals. Ivermectin has been promoted as an “alternative” COVID cure by the likes of podcast host Joe Rogan—who has supported the horse deworming drug over COVID vaccines, even using it himself—and doctors have prescribed the treatment to COVID patients. In small doses, ivermectin can be prescribed to treat head lice or other parasites in humans, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the drug as a COVID treatment. (Barrett, 3/31)
Read the full study in the New England Journal of Medicine —
Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin among Patients with Covid-19
