Ivermectin was discovered in the late 1970’s and hailed as a remarkable drug because of the impact of reducing diseases for hundreds of millions in the developing world.
There are few drugs that can seriously lay claim to the title of ‘Wonder drug’, penicillin and aspirin being two that have perhaps had greatest beneficial impact on the health and wellbeing of Mankind. But ivermectin can also be considered alongside those worthy contenders, based on its versatility, safety and the beneficial impact that it has had, and continues to have, worldwide—especially on hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest people.
Crump, Andy, and Satoshi Omura. "Ivermectin,‘wonder drug’from Japan: the human use perspective." Proceedings of the Japan academy, Series B 87.2 (2011): 13-28.
Ivermectin was initially not a major focus of my research, as it was unclear the mechanism of action based around my autoimmune perspective. However, the mode of action stood out at the time as being immune modulatory.
“In this review, Rick Maizels and Rachel Lawrence argue that microfilariae and adult parasites induce a form of immunological tolerance which prevents both parasite elimination and progression to disease. The breakdown of this unresponsiveness is seen as the critical step towards pathogenesis.”
Maizels R.M., Lawrence R.A. (1991) Immunological tolerance: the key feature in human filariasis? Parasitol. Today 7, 271–276
“But indirect harm can come from giving people a false sense of security, especially if they choose ivermectin instead of seeking hospital treatment for Covid, or getting vaccinated in the first place.”
BBC Article - Oct 2021
Formal recommendations from the NIH on Ivermectin use with COVID-19
Recent paper in January 2023, highlighted the ability of the SARS-COV2 virus to impact on PAK1 enzymes to increase the size of microvilli on the surface of cells. This was an important discovery as it could explain the potential benefit of ivermectin.
Papua New Guinea represents an interesting situation. With only 4.2% of the population vaccinated, and poor health infrastructure, they only had 670 deaths from COVID-19 with a population of over 8 million people!
Coincidentally, there was extensive use of Ivermectin through the WHO for the management of a number of other diseases.
Was their remarkable outcome coincidental?
Vejon COVID-19 Review is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
How did Ivermectin get caught up in COVID-19?