The Effect of Ivermectin on Reducing Viral Symptoms in Patients with Mild COVID-19

Abstract

Ivermectin is widely prescribed as a potential treatment for coronavirus disease 2019, despite uncertainty about its clinical benefit. To determine whether ivermectin is an efficacious treatment for mild coronavirus disease 2019 is the objective of the study. A total of 476 adult patients with mild symptoms for 7 d or fewer in Jinan, China, were enrolled and followed up. Patients were randomly selected to receive ivermectin, 300 μg/kg body weight per day for 5 d or placebo. The median time to resolution of symptoms was 10 d (interquartile range, 9-13) in the ivermectin group whereas it was 12 d (interquartile range, 9-13) in the placebo group (hazard ratio for resolution of symptoms, 1.07 [95 % confidence interval, 0.87 to 1.32]; p=0.53 by log-rank test). By d 21, 82 % in the ivermectin group and 79 % in the placebo group had resolved symptoms. The most common solicited adverse event was headache, reported by 104 patients (52 %) who received ivermectin and 111 patients (56 %) who received placebo. The most serious adverse event was multiorgan failure. Among adults with mild coronavirus disease 2019, a 5 d course of ivermectin, compared with placebo, did not significantly improve the time to resolution of symptoms. The findings do not support the use of ivermectin for treatment of mild coronavirus disease 2019.