One Page Summary of the Clinical Trials Evidence for Ivermectin in COVID-19

 One Page Summary of the Clinical Trials Evidence for Ivermectin in COVID-19 

Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medicine whose discovery won the Nobel Prize in 2015, has proven, highly potent, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory studies. In the past 4 months, numerous, controlled clinical trials from multiple centers and countries worldwide are reporting consistent, large improvements in COVID-19 patient outcomes when treated with ivermectin. Our comprehensive scientific review of these referenced trials can be found on the Open Science Foundation pre-print server here: https://osf.io/wx3zn/

Properties of Ivermectin

1) Ivermectin inhibits the replication of many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and others;

2) Ivermectin has potent anti-inflammatory properties with multiple mechanisms of inhibition;

3) Ivermectin diminishes viral load and protects against organ damage in animal models;

4) Ivermectin prevents transmission of COVID-19 when taken either pre-or post-exposure;

5) Ivermectin hastens recovery and decreases hospitalization and mortality in patients with COVID-19;

6) Ivermectin leads to far lower case-fatality rates in regions with widespread use.

Evidence Base Supporting the Efficacy of Ivermectin in COVID-19

as of January 11, 2021

(RCT’s = randomized controlled trials, OCT’s = observational controlled trials). Every clinical trial shows a benefit, with RCT’s and OCT’s reporting the same direction and magnitude; nearly all are statistically significant.

Controlled trials studying the prevention of COVID-19 (8 trials completed)

• 3 RCT’s with large statistically significant reductions in transmission rates, a total of 774 patients

• 5 OCT’s with large statistically significant reductions in transmission rates, a total of 2,052 patients

Controlled trials in the treatment of both early and hospitalized COVID-19 patients (19 trials completed)

• 5 RCT’s with large, significant reductions in time to recovery or hospital length of stay, a total of 774 patients

• 1 RCT with a large, statistically significant reduction in rate of deterioration/hospitalization, total of 363 patients

• 2 RCT’s with significant decreases in viral load, days of anosmia, cough, or time to recovery, a total of 85 patients

• 3 RCT’s with large, significant reductions in mortality, a total of 695 patients

• 3 OCT’s with large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, a total of 1,688 patients 

Number of Studies and Patients Among the Existing Clinical Trials of Ivermectin in COVID-19

• 27 controlled trials, including a total of 6,612 patients have been completed using well-matched control groups

• 16 trials, including over 2,500 patients, are prospective, randomized, controlled studies

• 11 of the 27 trials have been published in peer-reviewed journals, 3,900 patients, remainder are in pre-print 

Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance – Recommendation on Ivermectin in COVID-19

Even restricting analysis to just the 16 randomized controlled trials (totaling over 2,500 patients), the majority report a statisti­cally significant reduction in transmission or disease progression or mortality. Further, a meta-analysis recently performed by an independent research consortium calculated the chances that ivermectin is ineffective in COVID-19 to be 1 in 67 million. 

The FLCCC Alliance, based on the totality of the existing evidence, supports an A-I recommendation (NIH rating scheme; strong level, high quality evidence) for the use of ivermectin in both the prophylaxis and treatment of all phases of COVID-19.

Furthermore, we encourage all regulatory agencies to review our manuscript detailing these studies above as well as the multiple population-wide “natural experiments” that occurred in numerous cities and regions after the initiation of ivermectin distribution programs. The widespread use of ivermectin resulted in a significant reduction in cases and mortality rates that approached pre-pandemic levels in these areas. As evidenced by what occurred in these regions, ivermectin is clearly an essential and vital treatment component in achieving control of the pandemic.