Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 13) — Philippine Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo told President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday there is still insufficient evidence to conclude that anti-parasitic drug ivermectin can treat COVID-19 patients.
“Marami po kasing nagki-claim na ito po ang nagpagaling sa kanila. Kaya lang at the same time, marami naman din po sila kasing ibang gamot na iniinom. Kaya po ang sinasabi ng ating mga espesyalista, hindi naman natin masasabi na ito ‘yong nagpagaling sa kanila at medyo kulang pa po tayo ng ebidensiya,” said Domingo.
[Translation: Many are claiming that ivermectin helped them heal. But at the same time, they were taking other medicine in their treatment. That’s why experts are saying that ivermectin does not directly treat them and there is still insufficient evidence to prove such claims.]
The President also asked the Philippine FDA head if ivermectin is only for animal use.
Domingo replied, “Sa ngayon, opo. Pero mayroon din naman po talagang pang-tao nito, pero it’s really for anti-parasitic, para po sa mga bulate, para po sa mga skin infestation. Doon po siya na-design, hindi po siya originally designed as an anti-viral.”
[Translation: For now, yes. But there are other kinds that are for human use but it’s really anti-parasitic, to fight worms, and for skin infestation. The drug is designed for such use, it is not originally designed as an anti-viral.]
Domingo reiterated that FDA-approved ivermectin products for human use are topical intended for the treatment of parasitic infestations such as head lice and other skin conditions. It is also a prescription drug, where companies need a Certificate of Product Registration to give it to human patients.
Last week, the FDA granted a hospital’s request for a compassionate special permit (CSP) to use ivermectin against COVID-19. The agency did not identify the hospital.
Meanwhile, a Filipino doctor in the United States urged the Philippine government to distribute ivermectin in large quantities to help in the prevention of the virus.
Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of staff at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, said the drug has been around for decades and the World Health Organization certified it as one of the top ten medications when there are catastrophes.
“We saw that it was used in some countries where there are a lot of parasitic illnesses and these countries have lower cases of COVID-19. And this has been a trial and error kind of thing but it has worked,” said Varon in an online forum on Monday.
The Department of Science and Technology said the government has no plans of conducting a clinical trial to determine if ivermectin works against COVID-19 as there are dozens of similar studies either completed or being conducted in other parts of the world.
CNN Philippines Correspondent Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report
