COVID-19 treatment: ICMR stops use of HCQ, Ivermectin

The WHO and US FDA have warned against use of anti-parasitic medicine Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has dropped usage of Hydroxycholoroquine and Ivermectin from COVID-19 treatment protocols.

Samiran Panda, the head of epidemiology and infectious diseases at ICMR, said that experts had found insufficient evidence for therapeutic effect of the drugs against COVID-19.

"A lot of discussions took place and the experts finally came to the conclusion that there is not enough evidence that proves the effectiveness of both the drugs and hence decided to drop them from the clinical guidance for management of COVID-19 patients," Panda told The Economic Times.

Also read: Turn the page on COVID-19? Not so fast, say experts

The health ministry's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) had in May issued guidelines to stop the use of Ivermectin and HCQ along with other drugs from COVID-19 treatment. But the guidelines were not officially approved by the ICMR.

In March, a WHO expert panel said anti-malaria drug HCQ should not be used to prevent COVID-19 and has no meaningful effect on patients already infected.

The WHO and US FDA have warned against use of anti-parasitic medicine Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients.

"Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing," the US FDA said on its website.