Ivermectin does not reduce risk of hospitalization for COVID-19: Study

(NEW YORK) — The antiparasitic drug ivermectin did not reduce the risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a large study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Ivermectin was popularized as an alternative COVID-19 treatment despite a lack of strong evidence it helps. The recent study is among the largest that has failed to show a benefit.

In the study, researchers in Brazil compared more than 1,300 patients, some given ivermectin and others given placebo, and found no difference between the groups.

Early in the pandemic, lab experiments on cells suggested ivermectin could have some promise, but studies in people failed to back that up.

Some studies on ivermectin are ongoing, but today, we have several highly effective vaccines and COVID-19 treatments, with robust studies in people showing they work to dramatically reduce COVID-19 risk.