A Review of the Antiviral Activity of Ivermectin and Its Use in the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease-2019.
In this study, the primary endpoint was testing negative twice for the SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction test after 7-days of hospital admission. The results showed that those who received standard of care treatment plus ivermectin had a higher reduction in viral load compared to those who received standard of care treatment alone in a dose dependent manner.
However, to translate the in vitro activity of ivermectin and relate it to the activity in humans, there is a need to evaluate these concentrations and compare them to the lung concentrations of orally administered Ivermectin. For ivermectin to reach the lungs, all the pharmacokinetic parameters have to be considered as in theory, only the unbound drug reaches the lungs and other tissues through passive diffusion. The likelihood of Ivermectin reaching the lungs after oral administration is related to its high lipophilicity, low ionization at physiological pH, protein binding capacity (about 93% serum albumin), as well as the transporters that maintain tissue distribution.
Despite studies showing the association of ivermectin with lower mortality rates in the management of COVID–19, other studies have shown no improvement or effect on time-to resolution of the symptoms. The most important outcome in this study was that 82% of participants on ivermectin had their symptoms resolve by day 10 while 79% of participants on the placebo had their symptoms resolve by day 12. A 5-day treatment course of ivermectin among adults with mild COVID-19 did not significantly improve the time to resolution of symptoms compared with placebo. The findings, thus, did not support the use of ivermectin for the treatment of mild COVID-19.
Epidemiol Open J. 2021; 6(1): 30-35. doi: 10.17140/EPOJ-6-125
