World Health Organisation has warned against the use of Ivermectin, an orally administered in treating COVID-19 patients. The move comes one day after Goa approved its use in the treatment of COVID.
Chief Scientist of the WHO said that the organisation recommends against the use of the drug in the treatment of those with COVID-19, with the only exception for its use being during clinical trials.
"Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication," chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said.
On May 10, Goa said it would give all people above 18 in the state the drug irrespective of their coronavirus status to bring down mortality.
As per Goa's Health Minister Vishwajit Rane instructions, the patients will be given Ivermectin 12 mg for a period of five days as expert panels from the UK, Italy, Spain and Japan have found a statistically significant reduction in mortality, time to recovery and viral clearance in COVID-19 patients treated with this medicine.
According to him, this treatment would not prevent COVID-19 infection but can help reduce the severity of the disease.
Ivermectin, the anti-parasitic drug has been widely used in India and many other countries as an off-label medication to treat mild and moderate COVID-19 patients, despite limited evidence of its efficacy.
-- With inputs from PTI
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