The University of Oxford said on Wednesday it was testing the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a possible treatment for Covid-19 as part of a British government-backed study that aims to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings.
Ivermectin resulted in a reduction of virus replication in laboratory studies, the university said, adding that a small pilot showed giving the drug early could reduce viral load and the duration of symptoms in some patients with mild Covid-19.
Dubbed Principle, the British study in January showed the antibiotics azithromycin and doxycycline were generally ineffective against early stage Covid-19.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) and European and US regulators have recommended against using ivermectin in Covid-19 patients, it is being used to treat the illness in some countries, including India.