No, ivermectin still isn’t an effective COVID-19 treatment

"There continues to be interest in a drug ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans," begins information about the antiparasitic drug and the disease on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website.

Indeed. 

Among the many purported facts about ivermectin in recent viral Facebook posts is the persistent claim that "ivermectin is a treatment after Covid and after vaccination," and is effective in all phases of COVID-19.These posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The FDA hasn’t approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19. And, the agency says, the FDA "has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for animals."

Currently available clinical trial data doesn’t demonstrate that the drug is effective against COVID-19 in humans, the FDA says. 

As we’ve reported, the ivermectin debate has persisted since the start of the pandemic, but there’s no conclusive evidence that the drug is effective in treating COVID-19.

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The FDA has approved ivermectin’s use in treating humans with certain parasitic infections, such as pediculosis caused by head or body lice, or skin conditions, such as rosacea. The agency urges people to take the drug only as prescribed by a health care provider.

A large clinical trial published in 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that ivermectin did not decrease either hospitalizations or prolonged emergency room stays among COVID-19 patients.

Earlier research had significant limitations, including small studies with relatively few participants.

Research published in March from the University of Oxford also concluded that the drug doesn’t provide clinically meaningful benefits for treating COVID-19 in a largely vaccinated population. 

The headline of a post about the study on the University of Minnesota’s website? "Yet another study shows little benefit for ivermectin with COVID-19."

In May, the Mayo Clinic called claims ivermectin "can treat COVID-19…false."

We likewise rate claims ivermectin is an effective COVID-19 treatment False.