'' Reis et al. conclude that ivermectin is ineffective for the treatment of Covid-19.

However, they found the treatment to be safe, with no significant differences in the incidence of adverse events between the patients who received ivermectin and those who received placebo.

Those results are confusing and must be balanced with real-world data. It is well known that uncontrolled or inappropriate use of ivermectin can lead to severe or fatal adverse drug reactions such as hypotension, ataxia, or seizures.1 Since the first mention of ivermectin as a potential treatment for Covid-19 in May 2020, a surge in adverse drug reactions to ivermectin has been reported to pharmacovigilance centers.

Between 2019 and 2020, there was a 166% increase in spontaneous notifications in VigiBase, the pharmacovigilance database of the World Health Organization.2 Between May 1, 2020, and April 1, 2022, a total of 2944 adverse drug reactions associated with ivermectin were reported: 167 (5.7%) were severe, and there were 46 deaths or life-threatening conditions (1.6%) and 67 hospitalizations (2.3%). In addition to being ineffective, the off-label use of ivermectin may be harmful.''

Romain Barus, Ph.D.
Sophie Gautier, Ph.D.
Guillaume Wabont, Pharm.D.
Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
wabont.guillaumegmail.com