Mectizan Expert Committee Statement on Potential Efficacy of Ivermectin on COVID-19

A report by Caly et al found that ivermectin has shown in vitro activity against SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) in tissue culture with Vero-hSLAM cells. These findings are consistent with the activity of ivermectin previously reported against other viruses in vitro. However, the high concentration of ivermectin needed to produce anti-viral effects in laboratory tissue culture is far beyond dosage levels approved by the FDA for treatment of parasites in humans and known to be safe and well tolerated. Furthermore, the concentration is many times higher than dosage levels ever tested in humans. High doses in animal models have produced serious toxicity. These preliminary laboratory findings in tissue cultures are not sufficient to indicate that ivermectin will be of clinical benefit to reduce viral loads in COVID-19 patients.

Caly, L., et al., The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Antiviral research, 2020.