Despite clinical trials showing its effectiveness, the FDA is running national public service announcements and radio ads in efforts to convince people against taking Ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.
In its consumer update, the FDA says “clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing.”
The advisory doesn’t warn against taking the drug in general, but advises against it for COVID-19, per Just the News.
“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,” the FDA says. “Never use the medication intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.”
The FDA approved Ivermectin in 1998 to treat infections in humans caused by roundworms. Ivermectin has never been advised against in the over 20 years that it's been administered to people.
A 2020 report published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine suggests that the drug is effective in treating COVID-19 in the early stages of the virus. It states that "ivermectin inhibits the replication of viruses in vitro" and its "antiviral mode of action suggests an inhibitory effect on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication in the early stages of infection." However, it notes, "Currently, evidence on efficacy and safety of ivermectin for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 treatment is conflicting."
