* Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic agent, was found to be an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 replication in the laboratory.
* Ivermectin may be effective for the treatment of early-onset mild Covid-19 in adult patients. Early viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2 was observed in treated patients.
* Remission of fever, cough and sore throat did not differ between those treated with or without ivermectin. No severe adverse event observed with the longer duration of ivermectin use.
* Larger trials will be needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
A fairly low powered study from Bangladesh, it finds faster viral clearance but no statistically significant difference in the easing of symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat, hospital stay).
The results are difficult to read because they are presented in different orders. I have attempted to summarise the findings below, and have recalculated the percentages as based on patients who completed the trial.
Received ivermectin and/or doxycycline in the last 7 days
Were pregnant or lactating
Participated in any other clinical trial within the last month
Of course we would like to see positive outcomes and dislike negative. Overall the findings are not conclusive, however the author observes faster viral clearance. Some issues with the study include:
Underpowered study, small n per arm
No other treatment history or current treatment of the patients (e.g. did the patient use steroids prior?)
Placebo group contained more patients with fever and fewer with cough
Treatment groups contained fewer patients with fever and more with cough
In other words, the treatment groups likely contains more patients with symptoms characteristic of later stage disease; inclusion criteria is 7 days from admission
[-] Haitchpeasauce | 2 points | Dec 03 2020 12:59:56
Highlights
* Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic agent, was found to be an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 replication in the laboratory.
* Ivermectin may be effective for the treatment of early-onset mild Covid-19 in adult patients. Early viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2 was observed in treated patients.
* Remission of fever, cough and sore throat did not differ between those treated with or without ivermectin. No severe adverse event observed with the longer duration of ivermectin use.
* Larger trials will be needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
A fairly low powered study from Bangladesh, it finds faster viral clearance but no statistically significant difference in the easing of symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat, hospital stay).
The results are difficult to read because they are presented in different orders. I have attempted to summarise the findings below, and have recalculated the percentages as based on patients who completed the trial.
||Placebo|IVM stat + Doxy 5bd|IVM 5d|p-value| |:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| |Enrolled patients|23 (24)|23 (24)|22 (24)|| |Hospitalisation days|9.7 (CI = 8.1 - 11.0)|10.1 (CI = 8.5 - 11.8)|9.6 (CI = 7.7 - 11.7)|0.93| |Fever (d0)|19 (82.6%)|17 (73.9%)|17 (77.3%)|0.35| |Fever (d7)|3 (13.0%)|1 (4.3%)|0 (0.0%)|0.09| |Cough (d0)|15 (65.2%)|19 (82.6%)|18 (81.8%)|0.18| |Cough (d7)|9 (39.1%)|7 (30.4%)|7 (31.8%)|0.23| |Sore throat (d0)|4 (17.4%)|3 (13.0%)|4 (18.2%)|0.35| |Sore throat (d7)|3 (13.0%)|1 (4.3%)|3 (13.6%)|0.09| |Viral clearance days|12.7 (CI = 11.3 - 14.2)|11.5 (CI = 9.8 - 13.2)|9.7 (CI = 7.8 - 11.8)|0.27 (IVM+Doxy), 0.02 (IVM)| |Hazard Ratio (HR)|1.7|2.3|4.1|| |Confidence Interval (CI)|0.8 - 4.0; p=0.19|0.6 - 9.0; p=0.22|1.1 - 14.7; p=0.02||
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
Of course we would like to see positive outcomes and dislike negative. Overall the findings are not conclusive, however the author observes faster viral clearance. Some issues with the study include:
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