Pasig, Taguig mayors on ivermectin vs COVID-19: Relax, listen to medical experts

The mayors of Pasig and Taguig cities on Friday urged the public to follow the guidance of medical experts on the use of ivermectin against COVID-19.

Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto cautioned the public against “conspiracy theories,” stressing that drugs undergo a stringent regulatory process.

“‘Wag tayong masyadong ano sa mga conspiracy theory, relax-relax lang po tayo sa mga conspiracy theory (Let's relax and not get carried away by conspiracy theories),” he said in an online forum.

“Just because there is a little bit of positive news or a little bit of possibility or may nakitang konting scientific basis, hindi ‘yun sapat para sabihin na, ‘Okay na ‘yan, pwede na ‘yan.’ Hindi tayo mga doktor, hindi tayo medical expert. Makinig tayo sa kanila.”

(Just because there is a little bit of positive news or a little bit of possibility or some scientific basis, that’s not enough to say ‘That’s good enough.’ We are not doctors, we are not medical experts. Let’s listen to them.)

Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano said local authorities are awaiting the guidance of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the use of ivermectin on COVID-19 patients.

“We listen to the medical experts. ‘Pag dumating po ang panahon na inaprubahan po 'yan ng FDA, inaprubahan ng DOH (When the time comes that it is approved by the FDA and DOH)… by all means, we will not just support it, we will advocate it, we will buy it,” he said.

The DOH, FDA, and other health experts have repeatedly said that evidence on the benefits of ivermectin on COVID-19 cases remains insufficient.

The World Health Organization, US FDA, European Medicines Agency, and ivermectin manufacturer Merck have likewise stressed that they do not support the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment based on current evidence.—AOL, GMA News