Philippines to start clinical trials on ivermectin, other drugs for Covid-19

Family member assist a suspected coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patient lying on a hospital bed outside the emergency room of Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, in Marikina City, Metro Manila, Philippines

The Philippines will begin clinical trial of several drugs, including the anti-parasite medication ivermectin, in patients with Covid-19 to determine their efficacy in combatting the coronavirus, a senior government official said. Some politicians in the Philippines have started promoting the use of ivermectin for coronavirus and given out free doses, although the country's food and drugs regulator has cautioned against the use because of a lack of evidence for the drug as a treatment. The clinical trial for ivermectin, which could last for six months, ‘will give us a more reliable estimate of the effects of invermectin as an anti-viral agent in mild and moderate (Covid-19) patients,’ science and technology minister, Fortunato Dela Pena, said in a presentation late on Monday. The Southeast Asian nation, which is facing one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, is battling a renewed surge in infections, with its vaccination drive on reaching 1.3 million people out of its more than 108 million population.