Benha University Breakthrough: Randomized Controlled Trial Shows Ivermectin Effective for Treating COVID-19
A principal investigator with Egypt’s Benha University and team
recently concluded a clinical trial titled ‘Efficacy and Safety of Ivermectin for Treatment and Prophylaxis of COVID-19 Pandemic.’
The results, now available on the preprint server, are promising.
Dr. Ahmed Elgazzar and a team, including other investigators from Benha University,
have yet again verified in a well-designed clinical trial that the addition of anti-parasite drug Ivermectin to standard of care is in fact, an effective drug for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
The Egyptian team declared that
the study drug led to a reduction in mortality compared to only Hydroxychloroquine plus standard treatment.
Moreover, the team now declares that
early use of Ivermectin is
not only effective for controlling COVID-19 infections
but also as prophylaxis as well as contributing to the improvement of the potentially deadly cytokine storm.
Health regulatory authorities and research agencies should acknowledge
the mounting evidence for this effective and economical drug and immediately invest in research in more advanced economies such as the United States.
The Study
With accumulating evidence of
not only the efficacy of Ivermectin
but also the prominent role being played by Egyptian research centers,
this Benha University-based study sought to investigate Ivermectin from a few different important angles.
The team designed a
multicenter,
randomized,
controlled clinical trial (RCCT)
involving 600 subjects,
including 400 COVID-19 diagnosed patients and
200 health care (e.g., health professionals & workers) and
household contacts at Benha and Kafrelsheikh University hospitals.
The study commenced
on June 8 and concluded on September 15, 2020.
They evaluated Ivermectin plus the standard of care for this region, which includes azithromycin, vitamin C, Zinc, Lactoferrin and Acetylcysteine and prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation
Additionally and importantly, the investigational team
probed the prophylaxis benefit of health care and/or household contacts in comparison to Hydroxychloroquine plus standard treatment.
Involving 600 subjects, the study design split the patients by 400 symptomatic patients confirmed with COVID-19;
200 health care and house hold contacts distributed over 6 groups including the following –
The study team
reported that those patients receiving Ivermectin reported “substantial recovery of laboratory investigations” coupled with “significant reduction in RT-PCR conversion days.”
They report that those patients receiving Ivermectin experienced a “substantial improvement and reduction in mortality rate.”
TrialSite summarizes the results: