Ivermectin is still not recommended as a COVID-19 treatment, the Department of Health said on Wednesday as a reevaluation of the drug found “very low quality of evidence” for treatment for the novel coronavirus disease.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said a group of experts, composed of medical societies and the government’s health and regulatory agencies, found “insufficient evidence” backing the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 drug.
The World Health Organization, United States Food and Drug
Administration, European Medicines Agency, and even ivermectin manufacturer Merck have all earlier advised against the use of the anti-parasitic drug to treat COVID patients.
“These are all conditional recommendations because of the very low quality of evidence that are existing right now internationally,” Vergeire said during an online briefing.
“The push for a local clinical trial for ivermectin is really good so that we would have sufficient and better evidence,” she said.
The DOH issued the reminder after party-list representatives Rodante Marcoleta and Mike Defensor said they would distribute ivermectin for free today (Thursday).
Vergeire stressed only the five hospitals which have been granted a compassionate special permit to use ivermectin on COVID-19 patients can administer the drug.
“Other than the hospitals that have gotten a CSP, no one can distribute ivermectin because it is not registered,” she said.
The CSP is not a marketing authorization – which means ivermectin cannot be sold commercially yet.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered health and science agencies to hold clinical trials for the anti-parasitic drug.
The study is expected to start by the end of May, according to the Department of Science and Technology.