Ivermectin has an “antiviral effect” against COVID-19, according to a Monday report by Kowa Co. Ltd., a Japanese pharmaceutical company.
The company has been working alongside Kitasato University in Tokyo, according to Reuters, and has declined to provide the outlet with further information on the ongoing testing of the drug’s effectiveness in treating the virus.
Ivermectin’s use as a COVID therapeutic is also being investigated in the U.K., and is currently undergoing a trial run at the University of Oxford, according to the report. Researchers at Oxford also declined to provide Reuters with further comment.
Ivermectin is currently not approved for use against COVID by the United States Food and Drug Administration, European and Japanese drug regulators, the World Health Organization, or Merck, its manufacturer. The drug became a subject of national debate after being touted by podcaster Joe Rogan, as a COVID therapeutic.
Rogan made headlines in September after announcing that he had contracted COVID and claimed to be using the drug under the guidance of medical professionals. His podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has recently been the target of increased scrutiny from the left, with artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell having their music removed from Spotify in protest of the streaming platform continuing to host Rogan’s podcast. (RELATED: ‘Should I Sue CNN?’: Watch As The Media’s Ivermectin ‘Horse Paste’ Hit On Joe Rogan Is Thoroughly Debunked)
CORRECTION: Japan’s Kowa said anti-parasite drug ivermectin showed an ‘antiviral effect’ against Omicron and other variants of coronavirus in joint non-clinical research. The @WHO has warned against its use https://t.co/kBgUxaYjaL We will delete a tweet with a misleading headline pic.twitter.com/gX535ttNd3
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 31, 2022