Geneva – Ivermectin, as well as other repurposed and new products, has been under evaluation in clinical trials as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

After updating the independent living network meta-analysis, the WHO Guidelines Development Group has updated the WHO Living Guidelines: Therapeutics and COVID-19 (today March 31).  In this updated version, WHO recommends not to use ivermectin in patients with COVID-19 except in the context of clinical trials based on very low certainty of evidence.

Unitaid, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, has tracked the evidence available for ivermectin from randomised clinical studies from around the world, with various studies still to be completed.

In addition, to support the acquisition of the necessary remaining evidence as soon as possible, the ANTICOV consortium – coordinated by DNDi and partly funded by Unitaid – is preparing to add ivermectin in a combination therapy, as a new treatment arm to the clinical trial. This large platform trial aims to identify treatments that can be used to treat mild and moderate cases of COVID-19, preventing them from progressing to severe COVID-19, and is being conducted in 13 countries in Africa, nine of which are funded by Unitaid.”

Media contact:  

Hervé Verhoosel | +44 77 29 618 634 | verhooselh@unitaid.who.int