Don't prejudge Ivermectin amid ongoing trials —UP prof

Experts should not prejudge the use of Ivermectin as a cure for COVID-19 infections as more data are needed to prove its efficacy, a UP College of Medicine professor said Wednesday.

In an online forum held by Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), Dr. Jacinto Blas Mantaring from the Clinical Epidemiology Department of UP College of Medicine, said there are no pieces of evidence yet that suggest Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19.

In his presentation, he said 11 trials or studies on the use of Ivermectin as a cure for COVID-19 were done but none of these yielded significant findings.

“When we did our search, there are 80 ongoing clinical trials and I suspect in the next few months, the results of these trials will be coming out, so let us not rush judgment that there is no evidence. In my opinion, we can afford to wait on these trials before we pass judgment on the use of Ivermectin,” Mantaring said.

Dr. Joy Arabelle Castillo Fontanilla, chief of Endocrinology Section of Asian Hospital and Medical Center, likewise noted the insufficient efficacy data of the drug. She said the use of Ivermectin has potentials of serious harm.

Fontanilla called on her colleagues in the medical field not to “sensationalize” the use of Ivermectin in treating COVID-19 cases and stop calling it a “miracle drug” to ensure its proper distribution and regulation.

On the other hand, Benigno Agbayani Jr. reiterated his stance on the effective use of Ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.

Agbayani, who is from Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines, maintained his advocacy despite the Department of Health and Food and Drug Administration’s warnings on the use of Ivermectin as a cure for the respiratory disease.

In his presentation, Agbayani presented 21 Ivermectin COVID-19 peer reviewed trials, showing an 83% improvement in patients during the early treatment, 41% improvement in the late treatment, and 92% in Prophylaxis or the prevention of the disease.

Agbayani also questioned FDA’s apparent “unnecessary delay” in the assessment of Ivermectin as COVID-19 cure, saying the DOH is “very much aware” for the application for its registration.

On Tuesday, FDA Director General Eric Domingo told a House inquiry that it will discuss with the manufacturer how it could hasten the use of Ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.

To move forward, Xenion Australia chief scientific officer Leodevico Ilag suggested the FDA and the manufacturers to sit down and “agree on a plan.” —KBK, GMA News