SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH DEPARTMENT DISCOURAGES USE OF IVERMECTIN FOR COVID-19

Fri 29 January 2021:

The Department of Health has discouraged the use of Ivermectin vaccine for management of COVID-19, until the study on its efficacy and safety is concluded.

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.

“Currently, 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,” Maja said.

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.

“Several studies are currently underway exploring efficacy and safety of Ivermectin in the management of COVID-19. 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.

“As 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,” he said.

The sub-committee remains committed to an evidence-based approach to the selection of safe and effective medicines for management of COVID-19, Maja added.