3 ms·

Merck Statement on Ivermectin Use During the Covid-19 Pandemic

5 points by DanBC 5y ago

DanBC 5y ago
The company is pretty clear: It is important to note that, to-date, our analysis has identified: No scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies; No meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and; A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.
- mikece 5y ago
  > A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies. Ivermectin is one of the most-dosed drugs -- over 3.7 billion doses given worldwide -- with multiple studies showing that the drug is not only effective but safe. To have someone at Merck suggesting there is a "lack of safety" at this point is highly suspect.
  - yokaze 5y ago
    > To have someone at Merck... It is not someone at Merck, it is a company release, which goes through a release process, involving a fair amount of people. So more than "someone". > suggesting there is a "lack of safety" at this point is highly suspect. The complaint is about a lack of "safety data", not safety. > with multiple studies showing that the drug is not only effective but safe Maybe, point they are making, the majority do not even bother to collect safety data, which I take, is not how medical studies should be done. > [...] is highly suspect. How? I fail to see that. A company, which currently left in the dust by its competitors, which do have vaccines, is clearly distancing itself from studies claiming that their product has the benefit others claim. I could understand suspicion, if a company makes positive claims about their product, but if they are clearly distancing themselves from beneficial claims, I tend to believe them.
mikece 5y ago
The reason why Merck is making a statement about this is because one of their researching co-discovered ivermectin and won a Nobel Prize for it. [1] I had not heard of this drug until there was a mini-controversy over Twitter and YouTube censoring testimony given by a doctor before Congress on the efficacy of Ivermectin against all forms of coronavirus, including but not limited to COVID-19. Meanwhile, peer-reviewed research is claiming that global ivermectin use can end the COVID-19 pandemic, as the medicine significantly reduces the risk of contracting the deadly respiratory disease when used regularly. [2] Regardless of what one wants to believe about these claims, as long as we're talking science we're allowed to ask questions and investigate hypotheses, no? The appearance of undue zeal to suppress information is not going unnoticed. [2] https://weather.com/en-IN/india/coronavirus/news/2021-05-08-use-of-ivermectin-medicine-globally-can-end-covid-19-pandemic https://weather.com/en-IN/india/coronavirus/news/2021-05-08-... [1] https://www.isglobal.org/en/healthisglobal/-/custom-blog-portlet/ivermectina-del-suelo-a-las-lombrices-y-mas-alla/3098670/0 https://www.isglobal.org/en/healthisglobal/-/custom-blog-por...

5 points by DanBC 5y ago

The company is pretty clear: It is important to note that, to-date, our analysis has identified: No scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies; No meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and; A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.

mikece 5y ago
> A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies. Ivermectin is one of the most-dosed drugs -- over 3.7 billion doses given worldwide -- with multiple studies showing that the drug is not only effective but safe. To have someone at Merck suggesting there is a "lack of safety" at this point is highly suspect.
- yokaze 5y ago
  > To have someone at Merck... It is not someone at Merck, it is a company release, which goes through a release process, involving a fair amount of people. So more than "someone". > suggesting there is a "lack of safety" at this point is highly suspect. The complaint is about a lack of "safety data", not safety. > with multiple studies showing that the drug is not only effective but safe Maybe, point they are making, the majority do not even bother to collect safety data, which I take, is not how medical studies should be done. > [...] is highly suspect. How? I fail to see that. A company, which currently left in the dust by its competitors, which do have vaccines, is clearly distancing itself from studies claiming that their product has the benefit others claim. I could understand suspicion, if a company makes positive claims about their product, but if they are clearly distancing themselves from beneficial claims, I tend to believe them.

mikece 5y ago

The reason why Merck is making a statement about this is because one of their researching co-discovered ivermectin and won a Nobel Prize for it. [1] I had not heard of this drug until there was a mini-controversy over Twitter and YouTube censoring testimony given by a doctor before Congress on the efficacy of Ivermectin against all forms of coronavirus, including but not limited to COVID-19. Meanwhile, peer-reviewed research is claiming that global ivermectin use can end the COVID-19 pandemic, as the medicine significantly reduces the risk of contracting the deadly respiratory disease when used regularly. [2] Regardless of what one wants to believe about these claims, as long as we're talking science we're allowed to ask questions and investigate hypotheses, no? The appearance of undue zeal to suppress information is not going unnoticed. [2] https://weather.com/en-IN/india/coronavirus/news/2021-05-08-use-of-ivermectin-medicine-globally-can-end-covid-19-pandemic https://weather.com/en-IN/india/coronavirus/news/2021-05-08-... [1] https://www.isglobal.org/en/healthisglobal/-/custom-blog-portlet/ivermectina-del-suelo-a-las-lombrices-y-mas-alla/3098670/0 https://www.isglobal.org/en/healthisglobal/-/custom-blog-por...