Velasco urges DOH, FDA to inform public of alternative drugs for COVID-19 treatment

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco urged the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to “promptly inform” the public of the alternative drugs for COVID-19 treatment.

Velasco issued the statement on Friday amid the rise of COVID-19 cases in the country, mentioning the possible use of the widely-pushed ivermectin as one of the repurposed drugs to cure and prevent the respiratory disease.

“With coronavirus cases surging and more people dying, regulators should find it necessary to look into the safety and efficacy of ivermectin and other repurposed drugs for COVID-19,” he said.

Noting the public’s “desperation” in looking for a drug against COVID-19, Velasco said the DOH should have “proactive regulatory approach” on alternative remedies to prevent or treat COVID-19.

“People have become desperate for a cure. Fast-tracking clinical trials and processes to either grant Ivermectin an emergency use authority or conclusively declaring it unsafe will put the matter to rest,” he said.

Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera-Dy also pushed for the possible use of ivermectin in treating COVID-19 patients, arguing that this will be a “cost-effective drug” that may help reduce deaths related to the respiratory disease in the country.

“In the absence of an efficient treatment that can be used for the management of COVID-19, our regulators must maintain a more open mind and take a closer look at Ivermectin as a possible cure for the disease, which has so far killed more than 13,000 people across the country,” she said in a separate statement issued Saturday.

Herrera-Dy said Ivermectin only costs P35 per dose which will be taken by patients once daily for three days.

Its cost is relatively lower than the use of Remdesivir which costs around P28,000 per vial and must be administered twice daily to COVID patients until they are discharged from the hospital, she argued.

Last week, the FDA said it will discuss with drug manufacturers how it could fast-track the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.

On the other hand, the DOH said it needs more scientific evidence that will prove ivermectin’s efficacy in treating COVID-19 patients.

Earlier, the FDA has warned the public on the use and purchase of ivermectin veterinary products to treat COVID-19 patients.

It said the registered ivermectin in the country is only used for prevention of parasites and heartworm illness for certain animals. —Hana Bordey/KG, GMA News