Ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that is well established for use in animals and people.[1] The World Health Organization (WHO),[2] the European Medicines Agency (EMA),[3] the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[4] and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)[5] all advise against using ivermectin in an attempt to treat or prevent COVID-19.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratory research suggested ivermectin might have a role in preventing or treating COVID-19.[6] Online misinformation campaigns and advocacy boosted the drug's profile among the public. While scientists and physicians largely remained skeptical, some nations adopted ivermectin as part of their pandemic-control efforts. Some people, desperate to use ivermectin without a prescription, took veterinary preparations, which led to shortages of supplies of ivermectin for animal treatment. The FDA responded to this situation by saying "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, ya'll. Stop it", in a tweet to draw attention to the issue, for which they were later sued by three ivermectin-prescribing doctors.[7][8]

Subsequent research failed to confirm the utility of ivermectin for COVID-19,[9][10] and in 2021 it emerged that many of the studies demonstrating benefit were faulty, misleading, or fraudulent.[11][12] Nevertheless, misinformation about ivermectin continued to be propagated on social media and the drug remained a cause célèbre for anti-vaccinationists and conspiracy theorists.[13] This spread to conspiracy theorists further asserting that ivermectin could treat all diseases.[14]

  1. ^ Tafoya QJ (2021). "Appendix – COVID-19-Directed Medications". In Ramadan AR, Gamaleldin O (eds.). Neurological Care and the COVID-19 Pandemic (1st ed.). Elsevier. pp. 173–174. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-82691-4.00016-9. ISBN 978-0-323-82691-4. S2CID 239763031. The WHO, the European Medicines Agency, and the IDSA all recommend against the use of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19, with the NIH stating that there is insufficient data to recommend for or against its use outside the context of a clinical trial. (subscription required)
  2. ^ "WHO advises that ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials". Newsroom. World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ^ "EMA advises against use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 outside randomised clinical trials". News. European Medicines Agency. Amsterdam. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19". United States Food and Drug Administration. Consumer Updates. Silver Spring, Maryland: Food and Drug Administration. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ^ "IDSA Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Patients with COVID-19: Recommendations 23-24: Ivermectin". Infectious Diseases Society of America. IDSA Practice Guidelines. Arlington, Virginia. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Caly2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference shortage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference langford was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference coch2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Reis G, Silva EA, Silva DC, Thabane L, Milagres AC, et al. (May 2022). "Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin among Patients with Covid-19". N Engl J Med (Randomized controlled trial). 386 (18): 1721–1731. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2115869. PMC 9006771. PMID 35353979.
  11. ^ Lawrence JM, Meyerowitz-Katz G, Heathers JA, Brown NJ, Sheldrick KA (November 2021). "The lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are inherently unreliable". Nature Medicine. 27 (11): 1853–1854. doi:10.1038/s41591-021-01535-y. PMID 34552263. S2CID 237607620.
  12. ^ Schraer R, Goodman J (6 October 2021). "Ivermectin: How false science created a Covid 'miracle' drug". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  13. ^ Melissa Davey (15 July 2021). "Huge study supporting ivermectin as Covid treatment withdrawn over ethical concerns". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  14. ^ Mazer B (17 June 2025). "How Ivermectin Became Right-Wing Aspirin". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 17 June 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
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