FDA-approved Drug Ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro (opens in new tab)

(sciencedirect.com)

48 pointscolinthompson5y ago7 comments

7 comments

The key here is "in vitro".

If there is virus growing in a Petri dish, we can inhibit the growth. But we have no idea what happens when we put this drug in a complex living being.

syspec5y ago

Well we have some idea, as it's already FDA approved for other uses

SpikedCola5y ago

Relevant XKCD [0]

[0] https://xkcd.com/1217/

lidHanteyk5y ago

Ivermectin is an anti-helmenthic (thanks House! [0]); it removes worms and is presumably harmful to biotic material. There's no particular reason why ivermectin should be especially effective against viruses, AFAIK. WP tells me that ivermectin acts by disrupting cell permeability and the osmotic balance, and that it is neurotoxic to mammals, which sounds about right for somethihng meant to kill parasites.

I'm glad that people are doing these experiments, but without a convincing "why" or mechanism of action, it's risky to imagine that an existing pill will neatly fit into this novel virus's way of life and death. It also makes me think of things like my emergency gout medication, colchicine, which is also a cellular toxin and cannot be taken for long periods of time. (Again, thanks House!)

[0] https://house.fandom.com/wiki/97_Seconds

[0] https://house.fandom.com/wiki/Occam%27s_Razor

thereisnospork5y ago

> I'm glad that people are doing these experiments, but without a convincing "why" or mechanism of action, it's risky to imagine that an existing pill will neatly fit into this novel virus's way of life and death.

As a datum[0] we still don't understand how tylenol works. Quite a lot of drugs are developed without meaningful or correct understanding of the underlying mechanisms. If it is effective in a petri dish we should test it on people - if it works in people we should give it to the infected. Given a known safety profile there isn't a lot more logic needed here.

[0]https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00646906

dis-sys5y ago

in "vitro” is a magic word, surely enough salt can also inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in _vitro_.

xscott5y ago

Or bleach.

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