WHO warns against use of ivermectin as preventive med

PANAJI: A day after Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane announced that the state will give all those above 18 years of age ivermectin tablets as a prophylactic treatment to combat the severity of Covid-19, the WHO said the medication can be prescribed only for clinical trials.
“Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication. @WHO recommends against the use of ivermectin for #COVID19 except within clinical trials,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan tweeted.
Rane had said on Monday that the state government would provide ivermectin tablets as a prophylactic treatment protocol for all Goans above 18 years of age to reduce the severity of Covid-19. The decision, Rane said, was taken based on studies conducted in the UK and the US. This treatment is more effective and people have to take it for five days in a row, he had said. The medication is harmless and even those with comorbid conditions can safely take it, he had said.