UK to research the use of ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19

Ground Report | New Delhi: Scientists at Oxford University are researching whether giving ivermectin to people who have symptoms of Covid may help prevent them from being admitted to the hospital. In this study, patients undergoing treatment for Covid-19 in hospitals and patients taking ivermectin will be compared and the effect of this drug will be seen.

The use of this drug is being promoted in Latin American countries and South Africa. Although no evidence has been found so far that this drug can prove to be effective in patients of Covid, due to this there is a dispute about the use of this drug.

Earlier research on ivermectin has either been on a small scale or their quality has been low. Ivermectin is used to treat infections such as river blindness caused by parasites or flies. It is also used in small quantities to kill the virus in the petri dish in the laboratory. But in humans, ivermectin is given in higher doses as a medicine.

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Scientists say they chose ivermectin for research because it is "easily available" in many countries and considered relatively safe (although it can be fatal if used in high doses.) Aurora Baluja, an anesthesiologist and critical care doctor, says ivermectin is often given to people in areas prone to parasites in many countries. Such people who are suffering from an infection due to the corona virus as well as any parasite at the same time, their condition can get very bad, in such a situation the benefits of this medicine can be understood.

Professor Richard Hobbs, one of the main researchers of the study, says that there have been some observational studies on the use of ivermectin, which have yielded 'positive' results, but on the basis of them it would be 'pretty' to give this drug to Covid patients. Observational studies only look at people who are already taking the drug, not looking at its use in a larger proportion of the population.

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In such a study, different types of people cannot be studied, as well as the factors affecting the spread of the virus are not known. Despite the lack of evidence for the use of ivermectin, many doctors and the general public are using this drug in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, South Africa, and America. Doctor Stephen Griffin of the University of Leeds says, "Like hydroxychloroquine, this drug is also being used without full knowledge."

They say that the use of this drug on viruses has been seen in the laboratory but its use on people has not been seen. Due to the use of medicine without knowledge, gradually people start considering it as a common medicine and start using it for treatment, which is wrong. He said that after studying this, we will "get the answer" whether ivermectin can be used in cases of coronavirus infection or not.

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