Trial for ‘Wonder Drug’ that could reduce fatalities, says Times

Photographer: Luis Robayo / AFP / Getty Images

Oxford University researchers are planning a large-scale trial of a cheap drug that could dramatically reduce Covid-19 deaths worldwide, according to a Times report.

The goal is to find treatments that can be used at home, shortly after the symptoms appear, to contract the disease early and prevent serious illnesses.

This group of drugs contains ivermectin, which has been used for decades to treat livestock and people infected with parasitic worms, the newspaper reports. Supporters call it a ‘miracle cure’, but others say it has not been properly evaluated.

While the drug has potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, “there is a gap in the data,” Chris Butler, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and co-head of the trial, told the Times. “There was not a very strict process.”

The World Health Organization recently suggested that it has encouraging consequences, the newspaper said. The drug is approved in the UK as a topical remedy for skin infections and inflammation.