Contribution – 124/21 # 17)
Is Ivermectin simply an anti-parasitic for animals that is being misused due to anti-vax propaganda?
BRADES, Montserrat, September 6, 2021 – Indeed, Ivermectin is often used to de-worm horses, dogs, etc, and as an antiparasitic. That is the germ of truth that has been used to lend credibility to a smear job, [yes], that ignorant people following unscientific anti-vax misinformation are dosing themselves with a useless, toxic medicine intended for animals. It is even true that some desperate people have indeed apparently taken horse-sized doses of veterinary formulations, obviously without a doctor’s supervision. For, a horse might weigh 1,200 lbs, a big person perhaps 250. So, a horse-sized dose would then be maybe four or more times that for a human being and could easily have toxic effects. But, that’s not even near to being the whole story.
And the push to suggest that it is, is instead a truth test that far too many are failing.
First, those who promote or publish the atrocity tale in the media. As, there is the readily accessed ¾ of the story that could easily have been found, starting with its Nobel Prize-winning role in dealing with human river blindness. Yes, Ivermectin has been used successfully and safely with people (under medical supervision) for over thirty years.
Failure to acknowledge that is without excuse for any significant media house, official, or spokesperson.
Second, if we fail to take a critically aware view of such voices, ironically, we are in danger of swallowing or even spreading misinformation ourselves.
In either case, credibility is broken.
We can also provide facts from relevant scientific literature. For example, as Dr. Pierre Kory and others note in a 2021 American Journal of Therapeutics article[1]:
“Ivermectin [was] introduced as a veterinary drug [in the early 1980s] . . . it soon made historic impacts in human health, improving the nutrition, general health, and well-being of billions of people worldwide ever since it was first used to treat onchocerciasis (river blindness) in humans in 1988 . . . Ivermectin’s impacts in controlling onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, diseases which blighted the lives of billions of the poor and disadvantaged throughout the tropics, is why its discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2015 and the reason for its inclusion on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘List of Essential Medicines.’ ”
In a 2020 [Nature] Journal of Antibiotics article,[2] Fatemeh Heidary and Reza Gharebaghi add:
“Studies revealed that ivermectin as a broad-spectrum drug with high lipid [ = fat] solubility possesses numerous effects on parasites, [1, 3] nematodes, arthropods, flavivirus, mycobacteria, and mammals through a variety of mechanisms. In addition to having antiparasitic and antiviral effects, this drug also causes immunomodulation in the host. Studies have shown its effect on inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, as well as regulating glucose and cholesterol in animals.” [Pardon the technical language.]
That is why Ivermectin was a reasonable drug to test as a possible repurposed treatment for effectiveness against Covid-19. As we have already seen here at TMR, it is credibly effective, which is why leading Doctors in Jamaica publicly advised their Minister of Health[3]:
“[w]hile Ivermectin[‘s] efficacy has been demonstrated in the management of all stages of Covid, we draw particular attention to its use in the early stage of the disease . . . In our carefully considered opinion, the available data on Ivermectin is quite adequate.[4] There is no need to await the outcome of further trials. Any call for local trials prior to approval is unnecessary, as neither time, resources, nor ethical approval would permit. We need not await WHO approval of the use of Ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19. The WHO, unfortunately, has been slow, and sometimes incorrect, in its assessment and advice on various aspects of the pandemic and specifically so in relation to its current stance on Ivermectin. Several medical jurisdictions in various countries are proceeding to include Ivermectin in their Covid-19 treatment strategies.”
A summary of such evidence has been made by Dr. Kory and others.[5] Reportedly, Ivermectin:
– inhibits the replication of many viruses, including influenza, Zika, Dengue, and others
– inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and binding to host tissue
– has potent anti-inflammatory properties
– significantly diminishes viral load and protects against organ damage in multiple animal models
– prevents transmission and development of COVID-19 disease in those exposed to infected patients
– hastens recovery and prevents deterioration in patients with mild to moderate disease treated early
– hastens recovery and avoidance of ICU admission and death in hospitalized patients
– reduces mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19
– leads to striking reductions in case-fatality rates in regions with widespread use
safety, availability, and [low] cost . . . is nearly unparalleled
– near nil drug interactions along with only mild and rare side effects observed in almost 40 years of use and billions of doses administered
There is a fair amount of published evidence for that [see the report], there is a growing body of cases and studies, and there are population-level results. No wonder the Jamaican Doctors make a pointed contrast:
“Emergency Use Approval has been granted from health regulatory authorities, including WHO, and FDA, for the clinical use of other treatment regimes (Remdesivir, Convalescent Plasma, Monoclonal Antibodies, etc.) with far less research and data support compared with Ivermectin.”
A Cartoon used to promote the notion that Ivermectin is a misused de-wormer for horses (and yes, this is apple flavour here)
[1] See https://journals.lww.com/americantherapeutics/fulltext/2021/06000/review_of_the_emerging_evidence_demonstrating_the.4.aspx
[2] See https://www.nature.com/articles/s41429-020-0336-z.pdf
[3] TMR https://www.themontserratreporter.com/jamaican-doctors-stage-an-ivermectin-uprising/ cf Gleaner https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20210520/doctors-back-ivermectin-covid-19-fight
[4] TMR note, e.g. see https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FLCCC-Ivermectin-in-the-prophylaxis-and-treatment-of-COVID-19.pdf
[5] See https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FLCCC-Ivermectin-in-the-prophylaxis-and-treatment-of-COVID-19.pdf pp. 3 – 4
