Ivermectin the Wonder Drug: now an option for COVID-19

In the late 1970s a researcher in Japan isolated a compound called Avermectin from the soil. It turned out that this simple act of discovery would have a huge impact on human health. Microbiologist Satoshi Omura and parasitologist William Campbell discovered an organism in the soil of a golf course in Japan that would eventually lead to a synthetic drug with wide uses. In 2015 they would be jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for their discoveries. What they discovered was in a single microorganism and this find went on to benefit the lives of billions of people throughout the world. The drug Ivermectin was derived from Avermectin and it boasted anti-parasitic properties. Hence it was used in livestock as a deworming agent and in humans to fight off a devastating and disfiguring disease called river blindness and elephantids that affected the poor in Africa and South America. There are very few drugs that can command the title of ‘’Wonder Drug” but it seems this is a title Ivermectin (IVM) has earned rightly so. It has been shown to have effect on folks with Lyme Disease and some of the co-infections associated with tick-borne illness, especially the intracellular parasites like Babesia. Along the journey of innovation, it was determined that IVM had anti-viral properties due to some complicated mechanisms of action. In recent years with the global COVID-19 pandemic it has been realized as a repurposed drug and one of the best and strongest agents against the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Finding that Ivermectin (IVM) was very helpful in livestock treating gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, mites, lice and hornflies, it was also useful in treating animals infested with the ixodid tick Rhipicephalus microplus. This parasite is very destructive in the tropics and wrecks enormous economic damage. In Brazil for example 80% of the bovine herd is infested and losses amount to $2-billion annually. Today IVM is used to treat those cows and save the country from huge economic losses. It was rapidly realized that IVM had a use in humans. First adapted as an effective agent in 1988 in Africa to treat billions of people who suffered from Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic filariasis. These illnesses were the blight of billions of disadvantaged and poor in the tropics. It is estimated that 200-million people with these ailments take this drug annually.

Onchocerciasis or River Blindness is a chronic human filarial (worm) disease caused by the Onchocerca volvulus worms. It is transmitted by blackflies that breed in fast flowing rivers. These worms invade the human eye and cause visual impairment or blindness. IVM has been a godsend for many who are affected by this disease. Lymphatic Filariasis also know as Elephantiasis is another devastating and disfiguring disease that threatens of one-billion people in 80-countries. The worms Wuchereria bancrofi and Brugia malayi are the culprits and IVM seems to kill then as they try and clog up the lymphatic vessels and cause lymphoedema or swelling in the extremities. It has veterinary use in treating domesticated animals too such as our dogs. It is a therapy for canine heartworms and equine parasite Strongyloides. Despite over 30 years in animals and in constant human use there does not seem to be any resistance development against the targeted organisms. The manufacturer of IVM, Merck has been promoting the use of IVM in humans since 1987. It has a very long track record of being well tolerated, life and limb saving and affordable. There are programs to provide this medication free to those in depressed areas of the world.

“Ivermectin has continually proved to be astonishingly safe for human use. Indeed, it is such a safe drug, with minimal side effects, that it can be administered by non-medical staff, even illiterate individuals in remote rural communities, provided that they have had some very basic, appropriate training. This fact has helped contribute to the unsurpassed beneficial impact that the drug has had on human health and welfare around the globe, especially with regard to the campaign to fight Onchocerciasis.” – from a published study in the Proceedings of the Japan Academy of physical and biological sciences (Crump A, Ōmura S. Ivermectin, ‘wonder drug’ from Japan: the human use perspective. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2011;87(2):13-28.)

“Ivermectin (IVM) is one of the best known and most widely used antiparasitic drugs in human and veterinary medicine. From a fortuitous discovery on a Japanese golf course to a Nobel Prize, the impact of IVM on human health to date has been extraordinary.” – published in a peer reviewed paper (Roz Laing, Victoria Gillan, Eileen Devaney, Ivermectin – Old Drug, New Tricks?, Trends in Parasitology, Volume 33, Issue 6, 2017, Pages 463-472.)

With the WHO Solidarity Trial reporting Remdesivir not having much benefit, we must look past this rather new antiviral to better established drugs such as Ivermectin (IVM). Turns out IMV is better, cheaper, and safer. Remdesivir the only FDA approved drug for inpatient treatment thus far is minimally effective and may case organ failure and death.

Despite the long track record since 1987 with the use of IVM in humans, the mainstream media and health organizations in leadership positions and those that dictate policy has either not researched properly, are reporting invalid information or on a campaign to cause anxiety and scare the public about the use of IVM. It is blatantly obvious with the myriad of published research studies and use of IVM for many decades that it is safe and reasonably useful in the treating of viral illness such as the coronavirus in all its manifestations. The ulterior motives of mainstream media and the medical-industrial-complex is trying to defame this drug is unjustified and bordering on criminal activity. Patients should be aware the world over that IVM and a sister antiparasitic drug called Alinia or nitazoxanide (NTZ) are very suitable and effective and safe drugs to use with COVID-19. Research backs this up. This is no false testimonial but in fact real science. For more on the protocols that use IVM and NTZ in COVID-19 please visit the FLCCC Alliance website or www.saleeby.net/COVID for assistance in obtaining this life saving medication.

 

 

References:

Omura S, Crump A. The life and times of ivermectin – a success story. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2004 Dec;2(12):984-9. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro1048. PMID: 15550944.

Crump A, Ōmura S. Ivermectin, ‘wonder drug’ from Japan: the human use perspective. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2011;87(2):13-28. doi:10.2183/pjab.87.13

Roz Laing, Victoria Gillan, Eileen Devaney, Ivermectin – Old Drug, New Tricks?, Trends in Parasitology, Volume 33, Issue 6, 2017, Pages 463-472.

Leon Caly, Julian D. Druce, Mike G. Catton, David A. Jans, Kylie M. Wagstaff, The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, Antiviral Research, Volume 178, 2020, 104787.

Wehbe, A. et al, Repurposing IVM for COVID-19: Molecular Aspects and Therapeutic Possibilities, Front. Immunology, March 30, 2021.

WHO Solidarity Trial Consortium, Pan H, Peto R, Henao-Restrepo AM, et. al., Repurposed Antiviral Drugs for Covid-19 – Interim WHO Solidarity Trial Results. N Engl J Med. 2021 Feb 11;384(6):497-511.

Hindustan Times. (2021). Remdesivir has side effects. india-news/remdesivir-has-side-effects-too-warns-expert-as-demand-rises-in-covid-2nd-wave- . https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/remdesivir-has-side-effects-too-warns-expert-as-demand-rises-in-covid-2nd-wave-101619237387424.html. Acquired 9/5/2021

Taylor, N. P. (2020, January 24). Gilead mulls repositioning Failed Ebola drug in china virus. FierceBiotech. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/gilead-mulls-repositioning-failed-ebola-drug-china-virus. Acquired 9/5/2021