Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo (INQUIRER.net file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — There’s not enough data to prove that the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin—whether compounded for humans or not—can treat or combat COVID-19, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director Eric Domingo stressed Tuesday.
Domingo made the remark after Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor announced that he is giving away compounded Ivermectin to Quezon City residents.
“There is no conclusive data at this time to show that Ivermectin is effective in treating COVID-19. It is an anti-parasitic drug,” Domingo told INQUIRER.net.
TO USE OR NOT TO USE A number of physicians swear by the effectiveness of Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug commercially available only for veterinary use, as a treatment or preventive
medicine against COVID-19. But the Food and Drug Administration maintains there are procedures to be followed, including clinical trials, before the drug could be allowed for distribution. —AFP
Asked if it also applies to the compounded version of the drug, Domingo said: “Not enough data.”
Currently, there are no registered Ivermectin drugs for human use in the Philippines, according to the FDA.
Domingo, however, said licensed pharmacies can compound Ivermectin as long as a patient has a prescription from a doctor.
(MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)
Domingo, nonetheless, clarified that compounded Ivermectin cannot be mass produced as doctor prescriptions cannot cover multiple individuals, meaning, an individual has to secure his or her own prescription.
“This is a pharmacy with a special permit to do compounding. They compound the [medicine] per patient prescription,” Domingo said.
“Compounding is per patient prescription so no mass production,” he added.
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it does not back the use of Ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19, since it does not have statistically significant evidence of efficacy against the new coronavirus disease.