The Indian state of Goa is to roll out the use of an anti-parasitic drug not recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization to treat Covid-19 patients.
While it does not prevent infection, the drug, ivermectin, “helps in reducing the severity of the disease,” according to Goa’s health minister, Vishwajit P. Rane, in a Facebook post on Monday.
The FDA has not authorized the use of ivermectin for treating or preventing Covid-19, stating on its website that “taking large doses of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious harm.”
“Ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are topical formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. Ivermectin is not an anti-viral,” according to the FDA.
“If you have a prescription for ivermectin for an FDA-approved use, get it from a legitimate source and take it exactly as prescribed,” it adds.
The WHO has also raised concerns with its Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan tweeting on Monday, “Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication. @WHO recommends against the use of ivermectin for #COVID19 except within clinical trials.”
Alongside her tweet, Swaminathan posted a statement by US drugmaker Merck, which said there was “no scientific basis” for using ivermectin as a treatment against Covid-19 based on pre-clinical studies and cited “a lack of safety data in the majority of studies”.
In Goa, the treatment will be available across the state, with people able to collect the medication, irrespective of symptoms.
“I have given instructions for immediate implementation of the (Prophylaxis) treatment. In this, patients will be treated with Ivermectin 12mg for a period of five days,” Rane wrote on Facebook.
CNN has contacted WHO representatives in India and the Health Minister of Goa for comment.
