Lauren Dempsey, MS in Biomedicine and Law, RN, FISM News
An ongoing meta-analysis of current research on the safety and efficacy of Ivermectin has revealed that Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19, despite the negative publication bias. Even with positive information from clinical trials, there has been significant evidence of journals delaying or holding back positive study results on the medication. The study, titled Ivermectin for COVID-19: real-time meta-analysis of 65 studies, published on ivmmeta.com, is considered “a living analysis and is updated regularly.”
Meta-analysis is important because it compiles the findings of multiple studies using statistical methods to calculate an overall effect and has the ability to account for different sample sizes, variables in studies, difference in study results, and tests for sensitivity through statistical analysis.
In this review, current research was pulled from PubMed, medRxiv, ClinicalTrials.gov, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Collabovid, Research Square, ScienceDirect, Oxford University Press, the reference lists of other studies and meta-analyses, and submissions to the site c19ivermectin.com and included “studies regarding the use of ivermectin for COVID- 19 that report a comparison with a control group” and excluded “studies with major issues, epidemiological studies, and studies with minimal available information.”
The studies that were evaluated were classified based on three treatment stages: early or late treatment and prophylactic treatment. The meta-analysis indicates that “treatment is more effective when used early” and when using the most serious reported outcomes “shows 67% and 86% improvement for early treatment and prophylaxis,” and “statistically significant improvements are seen for mortality, ventilation, ICU admission, hospitalization, recovery, cases, and viral clearance.”
Using Ivermectin to treat any illness has become highly politicized, with the media, government officials, and the FDA telling people not to use this medication for COVID-19, claiming that it is a horse de-wormer dangerous for use in humans. Although the FDA did publish a clarifying statement, stating “if your health care provider writes you an ivermectin prescription, fill it through a legitimate source, such as a pharmacy, and take it exactly as prescribed.”
It is important to note that while Ivermectin is not recommended or approved for COVID-19, the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance reinforces that NIH treatment guidelines are not mandates and do not restrict a physician’s ability to prescribe medications to their patients. However, there are pharmacists that are refusing to fill prescriptions for ivermectin. In many states this is legal. However, pharmacists can only refuse to fill a prescription if they know the patient has an allergy, the medication is contraindicated due to other medications the patient may be taking, or the prescribed dose is above what the recommended dose is.
As previously reported, Ivermectin has been shown to be effective at treating COVID-19 in all stages of the disease and is very well tolerated during use. With this information widely available and evidence that reinforces the safety and efficacy of ivermectin as a treatment, why are there currently only two FDA-approved medications to treat COVID-19, both of which must be done in an inpatient setting?
Continued research by the FDA on medications that can be administered to patients in an outpatient setting and improve patient outcomes and quality of life is essential.