(Open access funding provided by Semmelweis University)
(739593 (European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme))
(2020.1.16-jövő-2021-00013)
Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, has been repurposed for COVID-19 treatment during
the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Although its antiviral efficacy was confirmed early in vitro
and in preclinical studies, its clinical efficacy remained ambiguous. Our purpose
was to assess the efficacy of ivermectin in terms of time to viral clearance based
on the meta-analysis of available clinical trials at the closing date of the data
search period, one year after the start of the pandemic. This meta-analysis was reported
by following the PRISMA guidelines and by using the PICO format for formulating the
question. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO. Embase, MEDLINE (via PubMed),
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), bioRvix, and medRvix were
searched for human studies of patients receiving ivermectin therapy with control groups.
No language or publication status restrictions were applied. The search ended on 1/31/2021
exactly one year after WHO declared the public health emergency on novel coronavirus.
The meta-analysis of three trials involving 382 patients revealed that the mean time
to viral clearance was 5.74 days shorter in case of ivermectin treatment compared
to the control groups [WMD = -5.74, 95% CI (-11.1, -0.39), p = 0.036]. Ivermectin
has significantly reduced the time to viral clearance in mild to moderate COVID-19
diseases compared to control groups. However, more eligible studies are needed for
analysis to increase the quality of evidence of ivermectin use in COVID-19.
