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Can ivermectin be used to treat COVID-19?

Medically reviewed by Melisa Puckey, BPharm. Last updated on July 8, 2025.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Ivermectin is not FDA-approved to treat COVID-19 patients.

The NIH, WHO, and EMA do not recommend ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 after reviewing clinical trial results.

Ivermectin products that are approved for use in animals should NOT be taken by humans. Veterinary products are formulated to treat large animals and contain far higher levels of ivermectin than products approved for human use.

What is Ivermectin?

Is ivermectin an approved medicine by the FDA?

Yes, Ivermectin is approved by the FDA as:

The WHO Therapeutics and COVID-19 living guideline: Ivermectin

The WHO Therapeutics and COVID-19 living guidelines are the World Health Organization's (WHO) most up-to-date recommendations for the treatment of COVID-19.

They recommend that ivermectin should not be used in patients with non-severe disease, even in a research setting. This recommendation is the result of a systematic review of randomised clinical trials that used ivermectin for COVID-19.

The NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines: Ivermectin

The NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines are the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s most up-to-date recommendations for the treatment of COVID-19.

The NHI panel does not recommend the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19.

The NHI panel recommends the use of Ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), remdesivir, or molnupiravir for patients who are at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.

Related questions

PRINCIPLE TRIAL

The PRINCIPLE trial (ISRCTN86534580) was a clinical trial investigating treatments for COVID-19 patients in the community who have a higher risk of serious illness. The study investigated a number of different treatments, including ivermectin.

The conclusion was that Ivermectin was not likely to provide a clinically meaningful improvement in recovery, hospital admissions, or longer-term outcomes.

How was ivermectin thought to work on COVID-19?

Treatments for COVID-19

For more information on COVID-19 treatments see: COVID-19: Treatments and Vaccines

Bottom line

References

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