Palace: Wait for FDA permit before using ivermectin
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday appealed to those who want to use ivermectin to treat COVID-19 to wait for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision on the application for a compassionate use permit for the antiparasitic drug.
Several lawmakers have been pushing for the use of ivermectin on COVID-19 patients despite the Department of Health’s pronouncement that it has not been proven to be effective against the disease.
Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor even said he would distribute the drug to those who want it.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said there was no data so far to show that ivermectin has been effective for COVID-19, although there had been an application filed to allow its compassionate use.
“My plea is let us just wait because the FDA decision would not take long,” Roque said at a press briefing.
Edsel Salvana, an infectious disease expert, said high doses of ivermectin could cause brain damage and could even lead to death due to overdose.
Salvana noted that those who use ivermectin for COVID-19 take 15 milligrams in repeated doses.
When ivermectin is used as an antiparasitic, it is given in one dose of 3 to 15 mg, he said.
Defensor said his office was “following FDA protocols” when it gave away free ivermectin to Quezon City residents.
He also said that the ivermectin came from a “licensed compounding laboratory … allowed by the FDA to produce according to prescription.”
Defensor’s announcement on social media on April 5 that his office is giving “access” to ivermectin has raised a red flag among netizens.
The FDA, which assures the safety and efficacy of drug products, said on March 29 that “there is no registered ivermectin oral formulation for human use” in the country and that it “has not received any application for such use.”
Still, Defensor insisted that ivermectin was given “within legal parameters and processing … and not given away like candy.” He would not identify, however, the local laboratory that produces the ivermectin.
He said he paid for his free ivermectin with his own funds, “at no cost to the government.”
Defensor admitted that he had taken ivermectin while being treated for COVID-19. He said he took three 15 mg tablets “of USP-grade ivermectin in a span of 14 days” and got better.
Rep. Bernadette Herrera Dy, who is also pushing for ivermectin as treatment for COVID-19, also told reporters on Tuesday that she had started taking the drug three weeks ago.
