Fake: ICMR had not recommended use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients

New Delhi, Sep 12: A post on the social media claiming that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in its guidelines has prescribed the use of Ivermectin drug for prevention of COVID-19 has gone viral on the social media.

Ivermectin is a drug that has been in use for the past three decades for treatment against scabies, head lice and is also used for de-worming.

One Facebook user, had posted, " ew guidelines of ICMR for COVID 19 released on 6th August 2020. For prophylaxis Tab. IVERMECTIN 12 mg On Day 1, Day 7 & Day 30 2 hrs after dinner. Followed by every 30 days 1 tab of 12mg till pandemic is over. To be taken by all high risk people & frontline health workers. It reduces severity of disease & fatality in 80-90%. For +ve asymptomatic and with mild symptoms, Tab Ivermectin 12 mg for 3 days along with Doxycycline (100) twice for 5 days."

The user claimed that the ICMR had issued these guidelines on August 6 2020. OneIndia checked the ICMR guidelines and did not find any such prescription. In fact it is an Uttar Pradesh government circular which is being passed off as an ICMR guideline falsely.

In August, the Uttar Pradesh government had recommenced table Ivermectin for prophylaxis in contact and in health care workers for treatment of asymptomatic to mild symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

We also came across this report of the Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) which had suggested that this drug can quickly prevent the replication of SARS-CoV-2 the virus that caused COVID-19.

"We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it," said BDI's Dr Kylie Wagstaff, who had led the study. However they also said in April that the research is at an early stage and the drug is yet to be tested on COVID-19 patients.

Since the drug is not logistically advisable for individuals, the ICMR has issued no such guidelines. Currently there are 150 groups that are working on a COVID-19 vaccine.