A Lung Expert Says Ivermectin Can Accelerate The Healing Of COVID-19 Patients And Inhibit Virus Replication

Ivermectin 12 mg (Photo: ANTARA/HO-Ministry of SOEs)

JAKARTA - Pulmonary specialist Dr. Budhi Antariksa, Ph.D., Sp.P(K) from the Friendship Hospital and the Head of the Ivermectin Clinical Trial Research Team in Indonesia said ivermectin can accelerate the healing of COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Budhi said that ivermectin has been used in medical practice since 1981 as an anti-parasitic drug for humans.

In 2012, research found that ivermectin can also block Zika, Dengue, West Nile, Influenza, HIV and other viruses.

"In vitro studies have shown the ability of ivermectin to inhibit the replication of various viruses. When its replication is inhibited, the virus cannot divide, so it cannot reproduce", said Dr. Budhi in the webinar 'Success Stories of Ivermectin,' reported by Antara, Monday, June 27.

Ivermectin acts as an anti-inflammatory and can prevent the production of cytotoxins and inflammatory mediators.

This ability can speed up healing so that the number of viruses decreases and prevents worsening of symptoms.

Ivermectin reduces viral load and protects against SARS-CoV-2 damage in animal studies. In addition, this drug prevents the transmission and development of COVID-19 in infected patients and also prevents the aggravation of patients with mild and moderate symptoms.

"This can also prevent patients from entering the ICU and prevent death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and prevent death in critical COVID-19 patients", said Dr. Budhi.

However, Dr. Budhi said that in Indonesia clinical trials of ivermectin are still being finalized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. The administration of the drug ivermectin is also not the main thing, but it is accompanied by other standard drugs for treating COVID-19.

Dr. Budhi also emphasized that the administration of the drug ivermectin must be accompanied by a doctor's prescription so that the dosage is appropriate so that people do not abuse the use of the drug.

"It has to be under the supervision of a doctor's prescription, of course there will also be education, then there is patient consent, and the side effects are explained, although side effects are rare", said Dr. Budhi.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), in terms of handling COVID-19, ivermectin has been used in 33 countries, through 60 clinical trials and involving more than 549 scientists, as well as 18.931 patients from various countries. The results prove that ivermectin is very effective as a preventive medicine and cure for COVID-19.

As a preventive, or prophylactic drug, ivermectin is effective against COVID-19 by an average of 85 percent as early treatment is 76 percent, and can reduce mortality rates by 70 percent.

In the latest research, the results show that ivermectin can prevent the development of new variants of COVID-19, such as variants from England, Vietnam and India.