DOH reiterates warning against use of antiparasitic drug ivermectin

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday reiterated its warning against the use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed that ivermectin is registered in the Food and Drug Administration for parasitic diseases.

“Ang position po natin mula’t mula pa, galing po sa ating mga eksperto, pinag-aralan pa muli ng ating Living Clinical Practice Guidelines… na sinasabi po na hindi po nakakapagbigay ng proteksyon for prevention or even the shortening or improving no doon sa progression ng sakit ang ivermectin,” Vergeire said in a media briefing.

(Our position from the very start, from our experts, is that ivermectin does not give protection for prevention or even the shortening or improving the progression of the disease.)

Meanwhile, Dr. Anna Ong-Lim of the DOH-Technical Advisory Group said some patients with COVID-19 could no longer be given the appropriate medicine as they have already been given ivermectin.

“Namro-mroblema pa kami dahil hindi na namin magamit ‘yung mga gamot na pwedeng gamitin kasi sirang sira na ‘yung kanilang mga organs, particularly ‘yung liver, dahil nga nabigyan na ng ivermectin,” she said.

(We are having problems because we can no longer give the medicines that can be used because their organs are badly damaged, particularly the liver, because they were already given ivermectin.)

She said there is increasing evidence that ivermectin is neither helpful, useful, nor safe.

“So siguro ‘yun ‘yung isang warning, no, that I would like to leave with families na pagka ingatan din natin ‘yun paggamit ng ganitong klaseng gamot na walang basehan na mabisa o ligtas siya,” she said.

(So I guess that’s one warning that I would like to leave to the families, be careful on the use of these kinds of medicine that have no basis.)—AOL, GMA News