![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Ivermectin-B1a-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png/640px-Ivermectin-B1a-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png&w=640&q=50)
Ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic
Uses of drug ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that is well established for use in animals and people.[1] The World Health Organization (WHO),[2] the European Medicines Agency (EMA),[3] the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[4] and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)[5] all advise against using ivermectin in an attempt to treat or prevent COVID-19.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Ivermectin-B1a-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png/640px-Ivermectin-B1a-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png)
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratory research suggested ivermectin might have a role in preventing or treating COVID-19.[6] Online misinformation campaigns and advocacy boosted the drug's profile among the public. While scientists and physicians largely remained skeptical, some nations adopted ivermectin as part of their pandemic-control efforts. Some people, desperate to use ivermectin without a prescription, took veterinary preparations, which led to shortages of supplies of ivermectin for animal treatment. The FDA responded to this situation by saying "You are not a horse" in a Tweet to draw attention to the issue, which they were later sued for.[7][8]
Subsequent research failed to confirm the utility of ivermectin for COVID-19,[9][10] and in 2021 it emerged that many of the studies demonstrating benefit were faulty, misleading, or fraudulent.[11][12] Nevertheless, misinformation about ivermectin continued to be propagated on social media and the drug remained a cause célèbre for anti-vaccinationists and conspiracy theorists.[13]