Takeaway
- In this small pilot study, ivermectin at a maximum dose was linked to self-reported reductions in anosmia/hyposmia and cough in patients with COVID-19.
Why this matters
- Findings had suggested some effect of ivermectin in attenuating COVID-19 symptoms.
- Its use has proved controversial following on mixed findings.
Key results
- 24 patients.
- Median age for ivermectin and placebo groups (each n=12) was 26 years.
- Day 7, posttreatment:
- 100% patients in both groups were PCR-positive for the nucleocapsid gene.
- 91% in the ivermectin and 100% in the placebo group were PCR-positive for the envelope gene.
- Median viral load declined over time more steeply in the ivermectin group vs placebo, but the difference never met significance out to day 21.
- Any symptoms experienced:
- 171 patient-days with ivermectin vs
- 255 patient-days with placebo.
- Anosmia/hyposmia:
- 76 patient-days with ivermectin vs
- 158 patient-days with placebo.
- Cough:
- 68 patient-days with ivermectin vs
- 97 patient-days with placebo.
- No patients progressed to severe disease.
- At day 21, median (interquartile range) IgG titer index: 4.7 (3.5-8.9) ivermectin vs 7.5 (4.2-9.3; P=.24) placebo.
Study design
- Pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center, parallel-arm superiority, randomized study assessing ivermectin 400 μg/kg for reducing COVID-19 transmission in Spanish patients.
- Funding: Idipharma SL; others.
Limitations
- Small numbers of patients included.
- Limited to patients with mild illness.
- Heterogeneous samples.
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