'Do not take Ivermectin for treatment to prevent Covid-19'

There are no clinical data on the intake of Ivermectin - Image by BERNAMA

Johor Bahru, 16 May 2021 - The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH), Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah advises the public not to take Ivermectin products for the purpose of treatment and prevention of Covid-19.

Dr Noor Hisham in a statement on Sunday said, it is due to the lack of clinical data to prove the effectiveness of its use in the treatment or prevention of the epidemic.

According to him, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA) informed that so far no product with the active ingredient Ivermectin is registered with the Drug Control Authority (DCA) for human use.

He explained that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved the indication of Ivermectin for the purpose of treatment or prevention of the epidemic and it was explained by the FDA in an article entitled 'Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent Covid-19' on last 3 May.

In addition, he said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had not recommended the use of Ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment following the lack of sufficient clinical data to prove the effectiveness of the product.

So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has only allowed Ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment in studies or clinical trials based on the explanation in an article entitled 'WHO Advises That Ivermectin Only Be Used to Treat Covid-19 Within Clinical Trials' on 31 March last year.

"Therefore, given the increasing prevalence of Covid-19 in Malaysia, the MOH has no objection to the use of unregistered Ivermectin products for clinical trials only in Malaysia," he said.

He said the MOH always prioritized the safety and well-being of Malaysians in facing the Covid-19 pandemic by giving full attention to the treatment and prevention of Covid-19 which was approved for use by the people in the country.

Dr Noor Hisham also emphasized that adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) was the most effective measure at present to control the spread of Covid-19 in Malaysia.