MANILA (UPDATE)—The Department of Science and Technology (DST) said Monday that the Philippines will conduct a clinical trial to determine the efficacy of ivermectin against COVID-19.
The development contradicts a previous statement by the head of department that such a trial is not necessary because a number of others have already been done.
DOST secretary Fortunato dela Peña said in a select public briefing he had an agreement with Francisco Duque III, health secretary, on Saturday that they would seek experts to handle the trial.
Dr. Aileen Wang of the UP-PGH division for medicine is part of the trial panel, Dela Peña said.
“Hopefully a ‘trial to a yan, a reliable estimate of a reliable estimate of ivermectin, an antiviral drug and a macaque pag-reduction of the po-nung virus, with a moderate (COVID-19) patient should , “he said.
(Hopefully, the trial will show more reliable estimates of the effect of ivermectin as an antiviral drug that will reduce virus elimination in mild to moderate patients.)
Dela Peña added that the efficacy of the antiparasitic agent can also be seen during the admission of coronavirus patients.
Just a week ago, the DOST secretary said it was not necessary to perform an ivermectin clinical trial because it could ‘take at least 6 months and take years’, and there are 20 ‘almost complete’ and 40 ‘ongoing’ clinical studies. trials on its effectiveness in the treatment of COVID-19 worldwide.
He added that DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development ‘has taken the view that it is not necessary to conduct another clinical trial in the Philippines, as most ongoing trials or clinical trials have already started since 2020. . ‘
“It would be appropriate to await the results of these studies, which have already made significant progress in terms of data collection and interim analysis,” said Dela Peña.
Last week, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration granted a second hospital a special permit to use ivermectin for its COVID-19 patients, acknowledging that there was some “pressure” to approve it.
The drug regulator explained that the compassionate special permit allows experimental or unregistered drugs for limited use outside the label, but obtaining one does not mean that the drug is effective as it requires a clinical trial.
Registered ivermectin products are for veterinary use only and are only for the treatment of internal and external parasites, as well as the prevention of heartworm diseases, the health department said earlier.
Unauthorized use of veterinary drugs can lead to brain damage and death, noted Dr Edsel Maurice Salvana, an expert in infectious diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that ivermectin not be used on patients with COVID-19, except for clinical trials, due to a lack of data showing its benefits.
Dela Peña, meanwhile, said they were investigating other drugs, such as melatonin and methylprednisolone, and herbal treatments such as lagundi, tawa-tawa and pure coconut oil.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo, meanwhile, said there were 88 vaccines in clinical development worldwide, and 184 others in trials.– With a report by Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News
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