Ivermectin is used to treat human diseases caused by roundworms and ectoparasites.įor river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis, ivermectin is typically given as part of mass drug administration campaigns that distribute the drug to all members of a community affected by the disease. Centers for Disease Control, the European Medicines Agency, and the World Health Organization have stated that ivermectin is not authorized or approved to treat COVID-19. Research into its use is ongoing, and multiple major health organizations, including the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Such claims are not backed by credible scientific evidence. ĭuring the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation has been widely spread claiming that ivermectin is beneficial for treating and preventing COVID-19. In 2018, ivermectin was the 420th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than one hundred thousand prescriptions. Food and Drug Administration as an antiparasitic agent. The medication is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, and is approved by the U.S. Ivermectin was discovered in 1975 and came into medical use in 1981 William Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for its discovery and applications. The drug belongs to the avermectin family of medications.
Ivermectin for hookworms in humans skin#
Ivermectin works through many mechanisms of action that result in the death of the targeted parasites it can be taken by mouth or applied to the skin for external infestations.
In veterinary medicine, the medication is used to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis, among other indications. In humans, these include head lice, scabies, river blindness (onchocerciasis), strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, ascariasis, and lymphatic filariasis. Ivermectin is a medication used to treat parasite infestations.