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Fact check

Is it true: Ivermectin as COVID-19 Cure?

Debunked95% confidence

No — this has been debunked.

The ACTIV-6 trial (NIH, n=1591, NEJM 2022), PRINCIPLE trial (UK, n=8811, Lancet RM 2023), and TOGETHER trial (n=3515, NEJM 2022) all found no clinical benefit of ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment or prevention. The influential Elgazzar et al. preprint that drove early enthusiasm was retracted for data fabrication; multiple other positive studies suffered from methodological flaws. Cochrane reviews and WHO/FDA/EMA regulatory reviews reach the same conclusion: no clinical benefit. Poison-control calls for ivermectin toxicity spiked 3-5x during 2021-2022; the FDA issued public warnings about veterinary-formulation dosing.

The claim

The claim that the antiparasitic drug ivermectin is an effective COVID-19 treatment being suppressed by pharmaceutical companies, regulators, and hospitals to protect vaccine profits.

Key evidence

Early in-vitro studies showed activity

ACTIV-6 trial: no benefit

Read the full evidence file

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