The Department of Health has discouraged the use of Ivermectin for management of Covid-19, until the study on its efficacy and safety is concluded.<\/p>\n
In a statement on Thursday, department spokesperson Popo Maja said that the National Essential Medicines List Committee (NEMLC) Covid-19 Sub-Committee has carefully considered all available evidence on the treatment or prevention of Covid-19 with Ivermectin.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, there is insufficient evidence to recommend Ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of Covid-19. Some studies have suggested that Ivermectin may be of benefit of management of Covid-19, however the evidence that is currently available is preliminary and of low quality,\u201d Maja said.<\/p>\n
Maja noted that studies vary widely in terms of disease severity of participants, medicines, with which Ivermectin was compared and additional medicines that participants received.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral studies are currently underway exploring efficacy and safety of Ivermectin in the management of Covid-19.<\/p>\n
The outcomes of these studies will provide the department with more scientific data to make informed decisions on the usage of Ivermectin to manage the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs new data becomes available, the sub-committee will continuously review and amend the recommendations accordingly. In the meantime, we discourage the use of Ivermectin outside of well-conducted randomised controlled trials,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n