/IvermectinTestimonials
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1. Dr. Rajter
In April 2020, Dr. Jean-Jacques Rajter, a Fort Lauderdale pulmonologist with the Broward Health system, began prescribing ivermectin and his reported patients’ outcomes led the hospital system to approve it as a COVID-19 treatment.
Early that month, one of his patients in the hospital was very ill with COVID-19. She required 50 percent oxygen to breathe. The woman’s son was persistent that more could be done for his mother before she would have to go on a ventilator.
Rajter’s wife, Dr. Juliana Cepelowicz-Rajter, also a pulmonologist, had read a recent study out of Australia where high doses of ivermectin killed COVID cells in the lab. The woman’s son read about the same study and asked Rajter if his mother could be treated with the drug.
But Rajter said the levels used in the study could be toxic if given to a person. The son then asked about the approved dose for humans, which is 200 micrograms per kilogram of weight.
The woman agreed to the treatment, and the results were almost immediate. Within 48 hours, she showed significant improvement. Rajter was so encouraged that he successfully treated two more critically ill patients with ivermectin that month.
And, at around $7 a pill, it’s an inexpensive protocol.
Rajter co-authored a retrospective study in June that he has submitted to scientific journals for publication that assessed 280 adult COVID-19 patients. One-hundred-seventy-three of the participants were given ivermectin and 107 were treated with standard care.
More importantly, he said, was that of the high-risk patients participating in the study, who were suffering from severe pulmonary disease, 81 percent of those not receiving ivermectin died, compared with 39 percent of those taking the drug.
The overall mortality rate of those given the drug was 15 percent, compared to 25 percent of the other sample group, Rajter said.
2. Kyle Carter
Dr. Bruce Boros, a cardiologist who owns and operates all three of the Keys’ Advanced Urgent Care clinics, was one of the earliest healthcare professionals along the island chain to sound the alarm about the dangers of the novel coronavirus, urging social distancing and mask-wearing.
One of his patients was Kyle Carter, a 45-year-old music promoter living in Key West. Carter is a big man. He stands six feet, four inches and weighs around 290. He’s had several surgeries in his life, but is otherwise healthy. On July 3, he was helping a friend empty out a trailer in the summer heat. He felt a little weak, but he didn’t think too much about it.
“The sun in Key West is enough to do it to you,” he said. “COVID crossed my mind, but I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
For about three days, he felt like he had the flu. By Day 5, he had a fever of more than 103 degrees, “and I’m really feeling pretty awful,” Carter said. Five days later, he had a bad cough and trouble breathing. On the 11th day of the illness, Dr. Boros’ staff X-rayed his lungs and the right one was filled with fluid. He tested positive for COVID-19 and had developed viral pneumonia.
Boros told him about ivermectin, which he had been reading about as a possible treatment for COVID, and asked him if he wanted to try it. He did.
“By that point, I would try anything,” Carter said.
Boros said that Carter was on the verge of having to go on a ventilator, which he said is when most deaths occur.
“He was really sick,” Boros said. “He was going down the tubes fast and was going to wind up on a ventilator.”
Starting around 4 p.m. that day, Carter took nine pills (3mg each) at first, five more about two hours later, and the four more early the next morning.
“Within 12 hours, I was starting to feel better. Twenty-four hours later, I’m out of the hospital and my actual symptoms have gone away,” he said. “I could speak entire sentences without having to cough.”
Other than a slight malaise, Carter said last week he is symptom free.
Boros believes in ivermectin’s effectiveness so much that he gives it to all his patients showing signs of COVID-19, especially since the drug has few known negative side effects.
“It’s really the answer,” he said.
And, more importantly, the sooner patients start treatment, the better the outcome, he said.
One of his patients was Kyle Carter, a 45-year-old music promoter living in Key West. Carter is a big man. He stands six feet, four inches and weighs around 290. He’s had several surgeries in his life, but is otherwise healthy. On July 3, he was helping a friend empty out a trailer in the summer heat. He felt a little weak, but he didn’t think too much about it.
“The sun in Key West is enough to do it to you,” he said. “COVID crossed my mind, but I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
For about three days, he felt like he had the flu. By Day 5, he had a fever of more than 103 degrees, “and I’m really feeling pretty awful,” Carter said. Five days later, he had a bad cough and trouble breathing. On the 11th day of the illness, Dr. Boros’ staff X-rayed his lungs and the right one was filled with fluid. He tested positive for COVID-19 and had developed viral pneumonia.
Boros told him about ivermectin, which he had been reading about as a possible treatment for COVID, and asked him if he wanted to try it. He did.
“By that point, I would try anything,” Carter said.
Boros said that Carter was on the verge of having to go on a ventilator, which he said is when most deaths occur.
“He was really sick,” Boros said. “He was going down the tubes fast and was going to wind up on a ventilator.”
Starting around 4 p.m. that day, Carter took nine pills (3mg each) at first, five more about two hours later, and the four more early the next morning.
“Within 12 hours, I was starting to feel better. Twenty-four hours later, I’m out of the hospital and my actual symptoms have gone away,” he said. “I could speak entire sentences without having to cough.”
Other than a slight malaise, Carter said last week he is symptom free.
Boros believes in ivermectin’s effectiveness so much that he gives it to all his patients showing signs of COVID-19, especially since the drug has few known negative side effects.
“It’s really the answer,” he said.
And, more importantly, the sooner patients start treatment, the better the outcome, he said.
3. Dr. Antonio Camargo
Dr. Antonio Camargo: I should have died with coronavirus, but I was saved with ivermectina.
Dr. Antonio Camargo, an oncologist, tells Con Nuestro Perú about his own experience after falling ill with the COVID-19 coronavirus and that of his patients. All of them beat this disease with ivermectin. Click here to read Dr. Camargo's story...
"The most powerful treatment to eliminate the coronvirus early, I present my basic protocol: Ivermectin 60mg to 90mg / day for 3 days + Hydroxychloroquine 200mg every 12 hours for 5 days + Azithromycin 250mg / day for 5 days + Zinc 200mg / day for 5 days."
“El tratamiento más potentente para eliminar al coronvirus precozmente, les presento mi protocolo base : Ivermectina 60mg a 90mg / día por 3 días + Hidroxicloroquina 200mg c/12 horas por 5 días + Azitromicina 250mg / día por 5 días + Zinc 200mg / día por 5 días …”
https://twitter.com/DoctorCamargo/status/1282132605845078016
- You contracted the disease and were cured with ivermectin, could you tell us about your experience?
—I got infected in my work activities, treating cancer patients. A patient who sought help and had a good time in our center infected two workers and the cleaning worker infected me. The diagnosis of my infection was made on May 8 or 9. He had an awfully high viral load, to make some kind of surveillance pattern. I have a molecular biology laboratory and I remember the biologist telling me that my viral load was very high.
Until that moment I didn't feel anything, just a dry throat, no cough or general malaise or fever, but I knew that a “tsunami” was coming on me. There I decided to test on myself what I was testing on other patients. I immediately took 60mg per day of ivermectin, accompanied by hydroxychloroquine: 200mg in the morning and 200mg at night, plus 200mg of zinc salts per day, which are high doses.
That was the coronicida treatment. At 48 hours I had a control with PCR, a molecular test to control my viral load and there was no viral load in my pharynx, there was no virus.
Logically, the virus had already hit me, it was already in my lung, it had caused me some immune damage and very harsh symptoms, generalized weakness, I started to desaturate, but not much, I reached 92 to 93 desaturation. I should have died from the initial high viral load because it ensured everything which is a terrible thing. I accompanied with a moderate dose of vitamin C, I have one that I use a lot in cancer patients, 12.5g of intravenous vitamin C per day for ten days, without fear.
The Minsa protocol of one drop per kilo of weight is insufficient.
I was overcoming the inflammatory phase, which was 7, 8, quite well. On the 8th they did a CT scan and the lesions had begun to subside, they were the lesions at the base of the lung, affected in 10%. The virus had hit me very hard, I was so bruised and everything knew that I had overcome the problem. The viral load was brutal initially and that should have killed me if I hadn't done that quickly. Vitamin C helped me a lot.
At the end of the treatment on day 9 to 11, more or less I used about 2 to 3 pulses of methylprednisolone, more or less 500mg in total in 3 days, and that helped me, the low-grade fever I had disappeared, but the most impressive thing was to see how The virus was "cleared" within 48 hours.
- Were you able to treat other patients with ivermectin?
I was initially working with coronavirus, about eight patients, with ivermectin in high doses. I cared for them before I got sick. Absolutely all the patients, who had mild to moderate disease, came out very quickly, in 5 to 6 days they showed significant clinical improvement, there was no progress in oxygen desaturation. In them I did not have a molecular control except in 2 people. One of them is a very dear colleague and after 48 hours, the molecular control showed zero viral load in his throat. He recovered much faster because he had a lower viral load than I did. The other case was my wife, whom I infected. She had the same protocol and in 48 she did not have an absolute disappearance of the virus, but a logarithmic decrease that I have in images. There are three cases with confirmed molecular test.
- How do you define the action of ivermectin?
"I can state with absolute certainty that ivermectin is the most potent coronicidal agent that I am at least aware of, and it is the noblest drug to kill the virus." Its toxicity is very low or null at high doses. High doses are about 60 mg per day. I have not escalated to 90mg, but I don't think it is necessary as of yet. The most common side effect is visual disturbances or perhaps the patient may develop a nauseous sensation. There is no liver, kidney, or neurological toxicity. What is described in the work of León Cali, from Australia and his group. There one reaches more or less 50% to 60% of that famous IC-50 of 2 micromoles, with that it is more than enough to eliminate the virus completely and it is fast.
- Why are there doctors who question the use of ivermectin?
Whoever doubts the effectiveness of ivermectin or is a person who lacks scientific knowledge or must have another type of thought or interest and is not well informed and has not experienced really with the drug.
Ivermectin is a wonderful drug, wonderful! It can be accompanied with hydroxychloroquine, which is another extraordinary drug in this, that they have made a terrible dirty war. This combination is very good, for safety I always add hydroxychloroquine and a zinc supplement, mostly on the recommendation of Dr. Zelenko.
My recommendations are always going to be high doses, about 60mg of ivermectin, from 3 to 5 days, it can be more days. When the patient evolves well, the doses can be lowered by half from the fifth day, to 30 mg until 7 or 8 days, and with that if one started early, the patient will be saved.
At 48 hours I had a control with PCR, a molecular test to control my viral load and there was no viral load in my pharynx, there was no virus.
When this virus hits, it deregulates the immune system, so you have to work fast from the start, that's the secret.
Now I feel quite recovered. This virus might have killed me, because with the viral load that I had, I was practically doomed. If I had not used ivermectin at that dose and all the support that I added, we would not be in this interview at this time.
- Would it be necessary for the Ministry to review its dosage to avoid losing lives?
Indeed, they began to recommend one drop per kilogram of weight and that really is very little, much higher doses are needed. In order to eliminate the virus, doses that are over 200mg of ivermectin are needed, as it tends to accumulate in the body, it is well preserved, therefore, they must be safe doses of 60mg, flat doses. I would even recommend investigating higher doses, 90mg for 2 to 3 days in those more serious patients, but that would be left for further studies.
The Minsa protocol of one drop per kilo of weight is insufficient. There are patients who report answers, but a lot of opportunities are being lost to be able to make the drug work in a much better way. The problem is that you are afraid of the doses, because nobody had ever administered such a high dose, so frequently. But in the patients that I have tried, who have been 7, 8, they recovered. I fell ill and could not continue seeing patients, otherwise I would have had a greater date.
But a dose of 60mg per day is very safe and highly effective.
I should mention that I was attacked on Facebook, it has been terrible, but it has been rewarding, this is what helped me save myself. It is a very important issue and of great importance in these difficult times, because the infection is spreading en masse and people are dying due to ignorance of the doctors, many refuse to give ivermectin treatment demanding evidence.
I don't know what more evidence they are looking for in moments where one urgently needs to treat, needs to seek treatment and this is what is called war medicine.
4. Mum's Recovery
5. Nursing home
Summary:
Valley View Nursing Home in Tornoto, Canada had an outbreak of scabies (late February, 2020). 170 patients at the home were given Ivermectin. The residents of the 4th floor, where the outbreak occurred, were given the highest dose; the rest of the residents were given a prophylactic dose. The staff were not given ivermectin.
Then they had a COVID-19 outbreak. The staff were infected with COVID-19 much more than the patients. Only 6 patients contracted COVID, and they all had mild cases. The patients on the 4th floor, who received the highest dose of ivermectin, had no cases of COVID-19. These patients were very elderly with co-morbidities, and they had much contact with the staff. Yet they were disease free.
Valley View Nursing Home in Tornoto, Canada had an outbreak of scabies (late February, 2020). 170 patients at the home were given Ivermectin. The residents of the 4th floor, where the outbreak occurred, were given the highest dose; the rest of the residents were given a prophylactic dose. The staff were not given ivermectin.
Then they had a COVID-19 outbreak. The staff were infected with COVID-19 much more than the patients. Only 6 patients contracted COVID, and they all had mild cases. The patients on the 4th floor, who received the highest dose of ivermectin, had no cases of COVID-19. These patients were very elderly with co-morbidities, and they had much contact with the staff. Yet they were disease free.
6. Brazil
Highlight: Doctors are taking Ivermectin prophylactically to protect themselves.
7. Mexico
Case Study
This case report was carried out under the medical prescriptions and follow up of Medicine Doctor Ezequiel Jose Castro Ortiz (Treating Physician).
Andreina, my daughter, is a young married woman, 30 years old with an asthmatic condition who lives in Monterrey, Mexico. She works at a State Preparatory Educational Institution.
This patient was classified as:
a) Moderate case with asthmatic risk factors
b) Moderate viral load.
Symptoms and Observations:
August 01 to August 05
Mild fatigue and mild breathing problem
August 06
Severe headache, severe fatigue and severe breathing problem.
August 07
Severe headache, severe fatigue and severe breathing problem.
August 08
Severe headache, severe fatigue and severe breathing problem. Tested positive for COVID- 19.
Initiated protocol at 7 pm:
On the 8th day of the onset of symptoms, after testing positive with COVID-19, she took a 1st dose of 18 mg, at around 7 pm. During that day, the symptoms were severe headache, severe fatigue and a severe breathing problem. Next day in the morning she reported that all the symptoms had disappeared. However, on the third day of treatment the symptoms reappeared but in a very mild way until they disappeared almost completely at day 9th of treatment. Rapid response to treatment (15 hours)
August 09
Headache disappeared. Fatigue disappeared. Normal breathing.

August 10
Mild headache in the morning and mild headache at night.

August 11
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 12
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 13
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Nasal congestion. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 14
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Nasal congestion. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 15
Mild headache in the morning and mild headache at night. Nasal congestion. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 16
Mild headache in the morning and mild headache at night. Nasal congestion disappeared. Loss of sense of smell and taste.
August 17
Most of the symptoms disappeared. Recovered sense of smell and taste by 60%. The protocol is finished.

August 21
Tested negative for COVID-19. The patient is back to a normal life and work.

August 30
The patient recovered completely the sense of smell and taste

The Protocol Used:
Ivermectin: 18 mg the first day. 12 mg daily the following days, except when the headache was intense the patient was given an extra 12 mg dosage (It occurred for three days). The total treatment was for 10 consecutive days. (Several references and clinical trials).
Artemisia annua infusion with lemon: Two cups per day (Abreu, 2020; Arnold, 2020)
Ibuprofen: 400 mg every 8 hours for 10 days (Rinott et al, 2020).
Doxycycline: 100 mg every 24 hours for 10 days (Alam et al, 2020)
Aspirin: 100 mg daily for 10 days (Cai Yue, 2020)
Zinc: 50 mg daily for 10 days (Yanagisawa, 2020)
Vitamin D3: 5,000 IU for 10 days (Yanagisawa, 2020)
Vitamin C: 5 grams for 10 days (Yanagisawa, 2020)
Final Remarks:
Andreina lives with her husband in a separate house from her parents America and Jose Luis (that is me), and her brother Jose Luis Jr.
At the beginning of the viral cycle on August 01 (Saturday) all of us spent time together without keeping social distance.
On August 6th (Thursday), Andreina was feeling real sick, thus she came to our house so that we could take care of her. At this time, I was suspecting it could be COVID-19. That day, before her arrival, I decided, by my own decision, to take the minimum dose of Ivermectin (12 mg) for four consecutive days.
On August 8th (Saturday) Andreina was given the test and then, the next day, we were officially informed that she was positive with COVID-19. She initiated treatment On August 8th (Saturday) after the first test.
The very same day, her mother, and her brother initiated a preventive treatment with Ivermectin taking a minimum dose daily for three consecutive days.
On August 21, one day before my birthday, Andreina, America and I resulted negatives with the COVID19 test.
Andreina presented formation of antibodies and negative for the viral presence.
My wife America and I did not showed antibodies in the results of the test.
It was like we were never in contact with the virus.
Our son did not take the test, but he has never shown any symptoms.
Andreina recovered complete sense of smell and taste on August 30th.
NOTE: It is very important not to follow an Ivermectin Protocol (or any other protocol) without the guidance and prescription of a qualified Medicine Doctor.
Jose Luis Abreu, PhD
This case report was carried out under the medical prescriptions and follow up of Medicine Doctor Ezequiel Jose Castro Ortiz (Treating Physician).
Andreina, my daughter, is a young married woman, 30 years old with an asthmatic condition who lives in Monterrey, Mexico. She works at a State Preparatory Educational Institution.
This patient was classified as:
a) Moderate case with asthmatic risk factors
b) Moderate viral load.
Symptoms and Observations:
August 01 to August 05
Mild fatigue and mild breathing problem
August 06
Severe headache, severe fatigue and severe breathing problem.
August 07
Severe headache, severe fatigue and severe breathing problem.
August 08
Severe headache, severe fatigue and severe breathing problem. Tested positive for COVID- 19.
Initiated protocol at 7 pm:
On the 8th day of the onset of symptoms, after testing positive with COVID-19, she took a 1st dose of 18 mg, at around 7 pm. During that day, the symptoms were severe headache, severe fatigue and a severe breathing problem. Next day in the morning she reported that all the symptoms had disappeared. However, on the third day of treatment the symptoms reappeared but in a very mild way until they disappeared almost completely at day 9th of treatment. Rapid response to treatment (15 hours)
August 09
Headache disappeared. Fatigue disappeared. Normal breathing.

August 10
Mild headache in the morning and mild headache at night.

August 11
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 12
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 13
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Nasal congestion. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 14
Mild headache in the morning and intensive headache at night. Nasal congestion. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 15
Mild headache in the morning and mild headache at night. Nasal congestion. Loss of sense of smell and taste.

August 16
Mild headache in the morning and mild headache at night. Nasal congestion disappeared. Loss of sense of smell and taste.
August 17
Most of the symptoms disappeared. Recovered sense of smell and taste by 60%. The protocol is finished.

August 21
Tested negative for COVID-19. The patient is back to a normal life and work.

August 30
The patient recovered completely the sense of smell and taste

The Protocol Used:
Ivermectin: 18 mg the first day. 12 mg daily the following days, except when the headache was intense the patient was given an extra 12 mg dosage (It occurred for three days). The total treatment was for 10 consecutive days. (Several references and clinical trials).
Artemisia annua infusion with lemon: Two cups per day (Abreu, 2020; Arnold, 2020)
Ibuprofen: 400 mg every 8 hours for 10 days (Rinott et al, 2020).
Doxycycline: 100 mg every 24 hours for 10 days (Alam et al, 2020)
Aspirin: 100 mg daily for 10 days (Cai Yue, 2020)
Zinc: 50 mg daily for 10 days (Yanagisawa, 2020)
Vitamin D3: 5,000 IU for 10 days (Yanagisawa, 2020)
Vitamin C: 5 grams for 10 days (Yanagisawa, 2020)
Final Remarks:
Andreina lives with her husband in a separate house from her parents America and Jose Luis (that is me), and her brother Jose Luis Jr.
At the beginning of the viral cycle on August 01 (Saturday) all of us spent time together without keeping social distance.
On August 6th (Thursday), Andreina was feeling real sick, thus she came to our house so that we could take care of her. At this time, I was suspecting it could be COVID-19. That day, before her arrival, I decided, by my own decision, to take the minimum dose of Ivermectin (12 mg) for four consecutive days.
On August 8th (Saturday) Andreina was given the test and then, the next day, we were officially informed that she was positive with COVID-19. She initiated treatment On August 8th (Saturday) after the first test.
The very same day, her mother, and her brother initiated a preventive treatment with Ivermectin taking a minimum dose daily for three consecutive days.
On August 21, one day before my birthday, Andreina, America and I resulted negatives with the COVID19 test.
Andreina presented formation of antibodies and negative for the viral presence.
My wife America and I did not showed antibodies in the results of the test.
It was like we were never in contact with the virus.
Our son did not take the test, but he has never shown any symptoms.
Andreina recovered complete sense of smell and taste on August 30th.
NOTE: It is very important not to follow an Ivermectin Protocol (or any other protocol) without the guidance and prescription of a qualified Medicine Doctor.
Jose Luis Abreu, PhD
| successful_clinical_protocols_and_a_case_study.pdf |
8. Guatemala
9. Melbourne, Australia
Coming soon...
10. Nora's cupcake adventure
11. One week too late.
PLEASE SUBMIT
YOUR TESTIMONIAL:
The information below is an excerpt from...
Some doctors think they’ve found a cheap, generic drug which treats COVID-19. So why hasn’t anyone heard of it?
For three nights in April, Heather Coutts listened through the door as her husband lay awake in bed, gasping for air. He told her later he’d strained to remember the details of his life insurance policy — had he signed all the documents? — in case he didn’t make it. Coutts cared for him from a distance, while minding their 11-year-old and 1-year-old.
After two weeks of belabored breathing, extreme fatigue and a trip to the emergency room, her husband started to feel better. But Coutts felt like she’d been hit by a truck. She had a sore throat and a fever.
Hoping to avoid the hell her husband had just endured, Coutts called her close friend Alexis Lieberman, a Philadelphia pediatrician, to ask if there was anything else she should be doing. Lieberman and Coutts are like family — they met years ago volunteering at a camp for kids with queer parents and have stayed friends ever since. So when Lieberman suggested that Coutts try ivermectin, a cheap, safe drug designed to treat parasites that had almost no known side effects, Coutts trusted her.
“We kind of thought, well, there’s no negatives to taking this,” said Coutts. “It’s not going to have any really bad side effects. If it could help, why not?”
Within 24 hours, her fever was gone. After two days, Coutts felt completely herself again
DR. ALEXIS LIEBERMAN
The Case for a Cheap, Available Treatment
In the early days of the pandemic, Lieberman was convinced that the best way to temper the impact of the novel coronavirus would be to find an inexpensive, generic drug that would mitigate the virus’s symptoms and keep people out of the hospital. None of the big medical associations, like the American Association of Pediatrics or the American Medical Association, were recommending therapies yet, so Lieberman looked in the various Facebook groups full of doctors she belonged to.
“There were people just trying things,” she recalled. “Especially ICU doctors and hospitalists. That’s it, just trying things.”
Lieberman kept a running list of all the drugs her fellow physicians posted, researched each one, and eliminated those whose potential side effects were too risky. Among the remaining possibilities was ivermectin.
Developed in the 1980s by Merck and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in tablet form to treat worms and as a topical cream to treat head lice, ivermectin is off-patent, widely available and inexpensive, and has few known side effects when taken at appropriate doses. It was originally developed to treat parasites in animals, and is still used for heartworm. It’s been shown to be somewhat effective in treating other viruses, like dengue and yellow fever.
Lieberman’s interest was piqued in April, when she saw the results of a study published by a group of Australian researchers showing that ivermectin slowed the replication of the novel coronavirus in mammal cells. The scientists infected the cells with SARS-Cov-2 in a test tube, added ivermectin, and found that within 24 hours, the amount of viral RNA had been reduced by 93%. By 48 hours, essentially all viral material was eradicated.
Emboldened by the potential of the in vitro study and her success with Coutts, Lieberman started prescribing ivermectin to other patients, with anecdotal success. Still, she knew better than to extrapolate any conclusions from a few individual instances, and wondered whether there were any clinical studies she could draw data from.
She started posting about ivermectin in one of her doctors’ Facebook groups — one for physicians who are also moms. Expecting to be met with the same sense of experimentation she saw in earlier months, the response she got was jarring.
“When I try to talk to doctors about ivermectin, it feels like someone has poisoned them against it before I even say my first word,” Lieberman said. “The level of response is: You’re suggesting eye of newt. Why don’t we try some mugwort? Why don’t we try some fairy dust?”
Lieberman was surprised. It’s common for doctors to treat patients using off-label drugs with a safe track record, especially in the context of a public health emergency for a disease with no known treatment. In the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 guidance on the practice, known as compassionate use, it notes that “the decision to offer a patient an unproven or experimental treatment is between the doctor and the patient but must comply with national law.”
As she watched the trajectory of the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine rise and subsequently fall in the public eye, it dawned on Lieberman that some of the hostility she faced must be because the medical community was traumatized by its unbridled use. President Donald Trump hailed the drug as a potential “game changer” during the peak of the pandemic without any scientific evidence to back that up, sparking a frenzy of self-medication. An Arizona couple ingested the chloroquine tablets for a fish tank, which killed one of them; a run on the drug left lupus patients at a loss for the daily treatment they depend on.
Lieberman said some people expressed fear the same thing would happen if another cheap, accessible drug were promoted before there was substantial evidence for its success.
Three thousand miles away, deep in the Peruvian rainforest, that was already happening.
“There were people just trying things,” she recalled. “Especially ICU doctors and hospitalists. That’s it, just trying things.”
Lieberman kept a running list of all the drugs her fellow physicians posted, researched each one, and eliminated those whose potential side effects were too risky. Among the remaining possibilities was ivermectin.
Developed in the 1980s by Merck and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in tablet form to treat worms and as a topical cream to treat head lice, ivermectin is off-patent, widely available and inexpensive, and has few known side effects when taken at appropriate doses. It was originally developed to treat parasites in animals, and is still used for heartworm. It’s been shown to be somewhat effective in treating other viruses, like dengue and yellow fever.
Lieberman’s interest was piqued in April, when she saw the results of a study published by a group of Australian researchers showing that ivermectin slowed the replication of the novel coronavirus in mammal cells. The scientists infected the cells with SARS-Cov-2 in a test tube, added ivermectin, and found that within 24 hours, the amount of viral RNA had been reduced by 93%. By 48 hours, essentially all viral material was eradicated.
Emboldened by the potential of the in vitro study and her success with Coutts, Lieberman started prescribing ivermectin to other patients, with anecdotal success. Still, she knew better than to extrapolate any conclusions from a few individual instances, and wondered whether there were any clinical studies she could draw data from.
She started posting about ivermectin in one of her doctors’ Facebook groups — one for physicians who are also moms. Expecting to be met with the same sense of experimentation she saw in earlier months, the response she got was jarring.
“When I try to talk to doctors about ivermectin, it feels like someone has poisoned them against it before I even say my first word,” Lieberman said. “The level of response is: You’re suggesting eye of newt. Why don’t we try some mugwort? Why don’t we try some fairy dust?”
Lieberman was surprised. It’s common for doctors to treat patients using off-label drugs with a safe track record, especially in the context of a public health emergency for a disease with no known treatment. In the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 guidance on the practice, known as compassionate use, it notes that “the decision to offer a patient an unproven or experimental treatment is between the doctor and the patient but must comply with national law.”
As she watched the trajectory of the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine rise and subsequently fall in the public eye, it dawned on Lieberman that some of the hostility she faced must be because the medical community was traumatized by its unbridled use. President Donald Trump hailed the drug as a potential “game changer” during the peak of the pandemic without any scientific evidence to back that up, sparking a frenzy of self-medication. An Arizona couple ingested the chloroquine tablets for a fish tank, which killed one of them; a run on the drug left lupus patients at a loss for the daily treatment they depend on.
Lieberman said some people expressed fear the same thing would happen if another cheap, accessible drug were promoted before there was substantial evidence for its success.
Three thousand miles away, deep in the Peruvian rainforest, that was already happening.
What it takes to get a trial off the ground
Back in Philadelphia, Alexis Lieberman was at her wits’ end. She recognized that unsanctioned, mass injections of Indigenous groups is “less than ideal,” but the way she saw it, a comprehensive study would put the issue to bed once and for all. She just could not understand why the FDA or a large research institution wouldn’t fund an ivermectin trial when it showed such promise.
“The truth is any country could complete a study on whether or not ivermectin helps COVID disease in the space of three weeks, and nobody’s done that,” Lieberman said. “It’s worth one big, fast, well-designed, well-funded study that I think the government should pay for.”
In the absence of a large study, Lieberman set out to conduct her own. She teamed up with a statistician, someone who runs clinical trials for a living and a handful of doctors around the globe who’d had their own anecdotal success with ivermectin.
JULIANA AND JEAN-JACQUES RAJTER
One of them, a pulmonary critical care specialist in Broward County, Florida, named Jean Jacques Rajter, had been treating patients in his ICU with ivermectin since he saw the Australian in vitro study.
Rajter published the results of an analysis of his patients’ charts, which found a 10% reduction in mortality [40% reduction in relative mortality] rate among severely ill COVID-19 patients who had been given ivermectin. His paper is in the process of being peer-reviewed for official publication.
Another study, conducted at the University of Baghdad and listed on clinicaltrials.gov, found that patients who received ivermectin had shorter hospital stays than those who didn’t by an average of five days.
Both Rajter’s study and the Iraqi study were observational, in part because getting a gold-standard, randomized controlled trial approved by federal agencies and having the money to back it is no easy task. Rajter, Liebermann and their team proposed a study that would span several dozen emergency departments across the country. They scraped together the cash for an independent institutional review board to approve their research protocol, but were denied on the grounds that they had too many participating locations for there to be a reliable control. With the support of a large research institution or teaching hospital, they say, that problem could be solved. They estimate they could conduct a 300-person study like the one they proposed for a couple hundred thousand dollars.
“That would not be an expensive proposition for a regulatory agency, considering the amounts of resources that are being spent across the board,” Rajter said.
But, he said, because no one in his group has a prestigious university or pharmaceutical company to back them, it’s been a struggle to garner attention.
“Ivermectin is a generic drug, so no one is going to make a lot of money,” Rajter said. “There’s no windfall for any pharmaceutical company here.
DR. SABINE HAZAN
Knowing how to play the game
Getting a clinical trial going can be a smoother process if the doctor has a relationship with pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, as Sabine Hazan does. A Malibu-based gastroenterologist who runs a company that facilitates clinical trials for pharmaceuticals, Hazan’s research mostly focuses on the microbiome — essentially, the genetic makeup of the human gut. Before the pandemic, she was thrilled to dig deeper into her latest project: research on the impact of fecal transplants on autism.
But when the pandemic hit, all Hazan’s research stopped in its tracks. Patients were too scared to come to her clinic to participate in trials. Nobody seemed to care about the gut anymore. She figured the fastest route back to her research was to apply her expertise toward finding a cheap, effective treatment for COVID-19.
Sabine Hazan is a gastroenterologist who heads a company that facilitates clinical trials. (Courtesy of Sabine Hazan)
“I honestly think there’s something wrong with me because I play with poop, I play with a dangerous virus, and I’m in bed with Big Pharma,” Hazan said. “And let’s not forget the FDA!”
Hazan decided to leverage her experience conducting clinical trials to run one for ivermectin, which she knew about because her sister had studied it as a treatment for head lice. She teamed up with Australian scientist Thomas Borody, whose treatment for Crohn’s disease appears to have cured the illness in many patients.
Because ivermectin is generic, Hazan knew there was no money to be made on this, but she wasn’t concerned about that for herself. Recently, she turned 50 and told her husband that for her midlife crisis, instead of buying a Lamborghini or a condo in Italy, she’d be investing in the latest $250,000 stool analysis technology. Besides, she figured the sooner the medical community could find a treatment for COVID-19, the sooner she could get back to her normal life, and her own research.
Hazan is paying for the clinical trial, which aims to recruit 300 patients, out of her own savings. Costs range from the medical equipment each patient will receive to monitor their improvement, such as Holter heart monitors and pulse oximeters, to the cost of hiring aides to draw blood regularly at patients’ homes. She said she is hopeful for investment from the pharmaceutical industry, but so far no companies have stepped up. She has worked with Merck in the past on drug trials, and approached the company about investing in ivermectin, but it wasn’t interested.
“Nobody wants to invest in trials in medications that are cheap because they’re not making any money,” Hazan said. “But these are billion-dollar companies. It’s time for them to give back. It’s more important to be a hero than it is to be rich.”
She is about to start recruiting participants for the double-blind, randomized control trial, which Hazan anticipates will be a challenge.
“Trying to convince people to go on a trial where they may be on a sugar pill is a nightmare,” she said. “But it needs to be done.”
There are now 32 studies for ivermectin listed on clinicaltrials.gov, including Hazan’s, and Chaccour is running his own as well. Aside from the Iraqi study, all these studies are still in the recruiting stages.
Alexis Lieberman is still offering ivermectin to her patients in Philadelphia. In the absence of more evidence to back her observations, she includes the caveat that it’s not FDA-approved for COVID-19 but there are a couple of studies that show promise. She estimated she’s given it to a dozen patients, with strong results each time.
Lieberman does her best to resist being drawn toward conspiracy theories that there is a concerted effort to stamp the drug out. Instead, she’s largely resigned herself to the reality that the financial forces driving the pharmaceutical research industry are enough to keep ivermectin low on their priority list.
“You don’t need a cabal of people in a back room saying, ‘Let’s make sure this one doesn’t go because we’re gonna make more money off the other one,’” she said. “I just think you have a million small actors, who act in their small fields, and are completely ruled by what will make money.”
But for her, it’s high on the priority list. People are still dying, and she’s not willing to wait.
But when the pandemic hit, all Hazan’s research stopped in its tracks. Patients were too scared to come to her clinic to participate in trials. Nobody seemed to care about the gut anymore. She figured the fastest route back to her research was to apply her expertise toward finding a cheap, effective treatment for COVID-19.
Sabine Hazan is a gastroenterologist who heads a company that facilitates clinical trials. (Courtesy of Sabine Hazan)
“I honestly think there’s something wrong with me because I play with poop, I play with a dangerous virus, and I’m in bed with Big Pharma,” Hazan said. “And let’s not forget the FDA!”
Hazan decided to leverage her experience conducting clinical trials to run one for ivermectin, which she knew about because her sister had studied it as a treatment for head lice. She teamed up with Australian scientist Thomas Borody, whose treatment for Crohn’s disease appears to have cured the illness in many patients.
Because ivermectin is generic, Hazan knew there was no money to be made on this, but she wasn’t concerned about that for herself. Recently, she turned 50 and told her husband that for her midlife crisis, instead of buying a Lamborghini or a condo in Italy, she’d be investing in the latest $250,000 stool analysis technology. Besides, she figured the sooner the medical community could find a treatment for COVID-19, the sooner she could get back to her normal life, and her own research.
Hazan is paying for the clinical trial, which aims to recruit 300 patients, out of her own savings. Costs range from the medical equipment each patient will receive to monitor their improvement, such as Holter heart monitors and pulse oximeters, to the cost of hiring aides to draw blood regularly at patients’ homes. She said she is hopeful for investment from the pharmaceutical industry, but so far no companies have stepped up. She has worked with Merck in the past on drug trials, and approached the company about investing in ivermectin, but it wasn’t interested.
“Nobody wants to invest in trials in medications that are cheap because they’re not making any money,” Hazan said. “But these are billion-dollar companies. It’s time for them to give back. It’s more important to be a hero than it is to be rich.”
She is about to start recruiting participants for the double-blind, randomized control trial, which Hazan anticipates will be a challenge.
“Trying to convince people to go on a trial where they may be on a sugar pill is a nightmare,” she said. “But it needs to be done.”
There are now 32 studies for ivermectin listed on clinicaltrials.gov, including Hazan’s, and Chaccour is running his own as well. Aside from the Iraqi study, all these studies are still in the recruiting stages.
Alexis Lieberman is still offering ivermectin to her patients in Philadelphia. In the absence of more evidence to back her observations, she includes the caveat that it’s not FDA-approved for COVID-19 but there are a couple of studies that show promise. She estimated she’s given it to a dozen patients, with strong results each time.
Lieberman does her best to resist being drawn toward conspiracy theories that there is a concerted effort to stamp the drug out. Instead, she’s largely resigned herself to the reality that the financial forces driving the pharmaceutical research industry are enough to keep ivermectin low on their priority list.
“You don’t need a cabal of people in a back room saying, ‘Let’s make sure this one doesn’t go because we’re gonna make more money off the other one,’” she said. “I just think you have a million small actors, who act in their small fields, and are completely ruled by what will make money.”
But for her, it’s high on the priority list. People are still dying, and she’s not willing to wait.
