A magic pill: scientists have found that an anti-parasite drug suppresses coronavirus

Scientists published the results of the study in Antiviral Research. In the laboratory the effect of ivermectin on coronavirus-infected cells was analyzed. It turned out that with a single dose of the drug after 24 hours the amount of viral RNA decreased by 93%. After two days the decrease was fixed at 99%.

- After 48 hours, this effect increased to a 5,000-fold decrease in viral RNA in ivermectin-treated cells compared to control samples. This indicates that the use of this drug led to the loss of almost all viral material, the study says.

It is noted that ivermectin has no toxic effect on the samples. According to scientists, the work will help start research on the use of the drug in cases of infection with coronavirus. They believe that the drug will reduce the viral load of SARS-CoV-2, prevent the development of complications of the disease and limit the transmission of infection from person to person.

The fact that ivermectin can be used in the treatment of coronavirus, said Ancha Baranova, professor at the GMU School of Systems Biology. At the same time, she recalled that the drug was not used on patients with coronavirus, and its antiviral activity was only a side effect.

- We checked it on several dangerous viruses, moreover, successfully, but it didn’t go beyond the initial experiments. Of course, ivermectin was not tested on patients with COVID-2019, there are no guarantees that it will work in this case. Nevertheless, it is safe for people, it is sent free of charge as an antiparasitic drug to poor countries. This drug is easy to run in trials. The question is which country will do this faster, - quotes Baranova RIA Novosti .

It’s obvious that testing the drug will be faster than testing the vaccines being created, since the animal testing phase can be skipped. Ancha Baranova noted that with successful trials, the drug can become that same “magic pill”.

Recall that the scientific center “Vector” of Rospotrebnadzor is ready to switch to clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine in May. More than 300 people across the country expressed a desire to volunteer for vaccine research.