Namibian Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) Registrar, Johannes Gaeseb said the use of ivermectin in human beings has not yet been registered or granted authorisation in Namibia and thus cannot be considered for treating COVID-19.
Gaeseb said this in a media statement availed here on Tuesday after calls for the government to consider the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 as the country continues grappling with the surge of the virus which has now entered the third wave.
He said the NMRC has, however, been reviewing ivermectin scientific data to assess its use in COVID-19 management, and the council has also consulted independent experts in the relevant fields, both locally and internationally and it has not found data that supports the use of ivermectin on humans.
“Available studies have limitations in that they were insufficiently powered using differing dosing regimens and included various concomitant medications which are confounders to the efficacy of ivermectin. As such no clear conclusion can be drawn on the clinical efficacy and safety of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19 infection,” said Gaeseb.
While the safety profile of ivermectin is considered good, it is important to note that it is relative to the dose and conditions in the population in which it was studied, and the established safety profile of ivermectin in humans is with doses used in populations treated for various tropical diseases like lice and scabies, he warned.
“The council continues to warn against the use of the veterinary formulation in humans as well as the illegal import and compounding of ivermectin and ivermectin-containing products for human use. Although it may be premature to absolutely conclude that ivermectin has no place in COVID-19 treatment, on the basis of current evidence, its use is not recommended at this point. However, the council will continue reviewing emerging evidence and also encourages applications for local clinical trials,” stated Gaeseb.
Ivermectin is a medication used to treat many different types of parasite infestations in human beings such as river blindness, head lice, scabies, strongyloidiasis and trichuriasis.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
