Takeaway
- A meta-analysis showed a 56% reduction in mortality along with improved viral clearance and clinical recovery in patients receiving ivermectin vs standard of care (control) treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Why this matters
- Findings provide combined results of published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to inform current guidelines on the use of ivermectin for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Study details
- UK researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 24 RCTs including 3328 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Primary outcome: all-cause mortality from randomisation to the end of follow-up.
- Funding: Rainwater Foundation.
Key results
- Ivermectin vs control showed:
- reduced mortality risk (risk ratio [RR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.25-0.77; P=.004; I2=43%);
- improved viral clearance at day 7 (RR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.05-1.75; P=.02; I2=56%); and
- improved clinical recovery (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12-1.47; P=.0003; I2=80%).
- Among patients with mild/moderate infection, ivermectin reduced the risk of mortality by 70% (RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.15-0.58; P=.0004) vs control.
- Ivermectin vs control reduced:
- time to viral clearance (mean difference, −3 days; P=.003; I2=95%);
- time to clinical recovery (mean difference, −1.58 days; P=.01; I2=86%); and
- length of hospitalisation (mean difference, −4.27 days; P=.05; I2=97%).
Limitations
- Included studies differed in dosage and treatment duration.
- Many included trials were not peer-reviewed.
- The standard of care used as the control arm varied between studies.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.