Zagazig University Randomized Controlled Ivermectin Study Results Confirms PI Hypothesis: Drug Effective Against COVID-19

A principal investor from Zagazig University, Dr. Waheed Shouman, recently completed a randomized, open label, interventional trial titled “Use of Ivermectin as Prophylactic Option in Asymptomatic Family Close Contact for Patient with COVID-19.” Targeting 340 participants, this study was completed in late August. This included a total of 304 participated, 203 participants in the ivermectin group and 101 in the control group. The goal of this investigation was to determine whether ivermectin could serve as a prophylactic and included a 14 day follow-up period involving a diagnosis for symptoms of COVID-19. The findings reveal that ivermectin demonstrates statistically significant benefits for use as a prophylaxis to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 infection in individuals that have been exposed to close family members diagnosed with COVID-19. This study confirms the author’s hypothesis that ivermectin in fact possesses an antiviral effect and demonstrates efficacy in preventing the development of symptomatic infection for those individuals that have come in close contact to family members diagnosed with COVID-19. Importantly, these findings haven’t been peer reviewed nor published in any medical journals. The study wasn’t’ blinded, the sample size wasn’t that large, etc. Moreover, the study was conducted in Egypt and hence any findings aren’t necessarily relevant for other food and drug jurisdictions, such as those in the United States (FDA), European Union (EMA), and the UK (MHRA) etc. On the other hand, an accumulation of observational, case series and even randomized controlled study data points (completed in Iraq and Bangladesh)  increasingly weigh toward possible benefit for ivermectin as a low cost, highly available consideration inhibiting COVID-19, particularly in low-to middle-income countries (LMICs). The drug has already been in wide use in LMICs for tropical parasites for decades. Regulatory authorities and national research units should at least be open to reviewing the data, rather than exhibiting indifference.


