FAQ - The COVID-19 and ivermectin drugs are meant for animals.

Q: Should I take ivermectin to treat or avoid getting COVID-19? A: No. A medicine called ivermectin can be used to treat and prevent some diseases in people and animals, but not COVID-19. No matter how much you want to treat or avoid COVID-19, you should only take medicine that was prescribed by your doctor and came from a reliable source. A research paper that was just releasedExternal Link Disclaimer talked about how ivermectin affected SARS-CoV-2 in the lab. In the early stages of drug development, these kinds of lab studies are often used. More research needs to be done to see if ivermectin can be used to treat or prevent coronavirus or COVID-19. Q: Is there a way to get ivermectin in an emergency in the United States to treat or prevent coronavirus or COVID-19? A: No. The FDA has made the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP) as an emergency program for possible treatments. It does everything it can to get new treatments to patients as quickly as possible while also researching whether they are helpful or harmful. We will continue to back clinical trials that test new COVID treatments so that we can learn important things about how safe and effective they are. Q: What can you use ivermectin for in the United States? A: Ivermectin tablets can be used on people to treat some parasitic worms, like onchocerciasis and strongyloidiasis in the intestines. Ivermectin topical formulations, on the other hand, can only be used on people with a prescription to treat external parasites like head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. The FDA has approved ivermectin for use on animals to treat certain internal and external parasites in different animal species and to keep some small animal species from getting heartworm disease. The FDA has only looked at how safe and effective animal drugs are in the species for which they are labeled, so people should never take them. Putting these products on people could be very bad for them. Q: Is there any risk for people who take ivermectin? A: As for ivermectin, it can be used to treat and prevent certain diseases in people and animals, but not COVID-19. No matter how much you want to treat or avoid COVID-19, you should only take medicine that was prescribed by your doctor and came from a reliable source. Ivermectin may cause a skin rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, facial or limb swelling, neurologic adverse events (dizziness, seizures, or confusion), a sudden drop in blood pressure, a severe skin rash that could need hospitalization, and liver damage (hepatitis). Some problems with lab tests are a drop in the number of white blood cells and high liver tests. Ivermectin should not be used to treat or prevent COVID-19 because its safety and effectiveness in these settings have not been proven. We need information from clinical trials to find out if ivermectin is safe and effective at treating or stopping COVID-19. Q: What should I do if the ivermectin products I need to treat my animals are not sold at the store I usually shop at? A: Ivermectin is an important part of a parasite control program for some species. It should only be given to animals for approved uses or as prescribed by a veterinarian, which is what extra-label drug use means. Some products might not be available because of the possible increased interest in ivermectin after the new research. For those who are having trouble finding the right ivermectin product for your animal(s), the FDA suggests that you talk to your vet. Q: What does the FDA do to keep people safe from fake COVID-19 products? A: We have set up a cross-agency task force whose sole job is to keep a close eye out for fake COVID-19 products. A lot of big stores have been asked to help us keep an eye on online markets for fake COVID-19 products. The FDA could investigate and take action against products that are sold if they say they can stop, diagnose, treat, or cure COVID-19 but haven't shown they are safe and effective for that purpose. So far, the task force has helped stores get rid of dozens of online listings for these kinds of products. Companies that sell unapproved products with false claims that they can treat or prevent COVID-19 are warned by the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). These companies break federal law and put patients' health at great risk. Read the warning letters to find out more.