The Medicines Directorate has refused to provide details since the restriction on the free sale of the drug and the sale price in pharmacies has been removed.
The drug Ivermectin, whose name has become popular because there are doctors who use it as part of the treatment against COVID-19, is sold in pharmacies without the need to prescribe.
The sale of the drug restricted its sale, but, according to various sources consulted, the National Directorate of Medicines (DNM) eliminated the requirement.
Ivermectin is a certified drug that is prescribed for parasitic infections, in formula for both animals and humans. And it is used to treat external parasites such as lice and skin diseases.
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Side effects of using Ivermectin
A Revistamedica.com publication, which took stock of 62 scientific articles related to the subject, reflected that the drug can cause side effects in patients, “such as blurred vision, loss of appetite, bloating, diarrhea, myalgia ( muscle discomfort), constipation, fever, insomnia, edema ”, among others.
People who should not use Ivermectin
People with liver damage or pregnancy. Do not administer if you are breast-feeding. It must not be used by children under 33 pounds.
Both the Medical College and the Association of Chemical-Pharmaceutical Industries of El Salvador agree that there is a free sale of Ivermectin.
However, Miltón Brizuela, president of the College of Physicians, explained that DNM had not yet notified the collegiate body of the new provision.
Diario de Hoy consulted the National Directorate of Medicines on the authorization of the free sale of the medicine, the reasons and parameters for its classification as an over-the-counter medicine, in addition to the fact that it has the estimated selling price; However, the spokesman for the management communication said that the institution will not give a position on this.
The drug is sold and promoted as over-the-counter by various pharmacies. The cost ranges from $ 48.26 to $ 31.96, and some offer home delivery.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that the drug causes reactions that can trigger a rash, liver damage, swelling of the face or extremities.
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Since March, with the outbreak of the new virus, dozens of laboratories around the world have begun exploring what already approved drugs could stop COVID-19, and in April representatives of the Australian Institute of Biomedicine at Monach University reported that , after a study of cell cultures “in vitro” (in the laboratory), found that the use of Ivermectin significantly reduced the progression of Sars-Cov-2 viral RNA by more than 90%.
Faced with the emergency situation and amid the impact that COVID-19 had globally, many countries decided to adopt Ivermectin as part of the management of the new coronavirus, both preventively and as a treatment. However, studies have shown that it should be prescribed in large proportions.
For Carlos Ortega, a specialist in virology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of El Salvador, indeed, Ivermectin has not gone through study phases to be an antiviral against COVID-19 and has no international certifications for it; however, in the light of the emergency situation and the data provided by the laboratory studies, he does not see its misuse.
Epidemiologist Roberto Vidrí in August 2020 explained to El Diario de Hoy that there are no drugs to prevent or cure COVID-19 and that what doctors are currently doing is treating symptoms caused by the virus, such as fever, headache, pain sore throat, dry cough, difficulty breathing, among others.
“Ivermectin should not be widely used for COVID-19. Decisions are based on the burden of proof. At this point, the evidence indicates that it does not work against COVID-19, although it may change in the future. Therefore, it should not be part of the current protocol “, argued Roberto Vidrí.
The government of El Salvador, such as Brazil, Honduras and the United States, uses Ivermectin in the treatment of people who have been infected with COVID-19.
Vidrí explained that the drug does not necessarily help people recover from the virus, but that “most people will recover from COVID-19 without any intervention. The association is wrong: they were cured because they were going to do it anyway, not because of the medicine “, said Vidrí.
The head of infectology at Rosales Hospital, Rolando Cedillos, also explained in August last year that scientific evidence, so far, indicates that infected people will not necessarily develop symptoms and that it was irresponsible to promote self-medication, then when there is no prophylactic medication.
“They give drugs as they were given to the patient (confirmed) to asymptomatic people, when no drug has been shown to prevent and cure COVID-19, it is irresponsible,” Cedillos said of the government’s drug kit, which includes the drug.
The specialist’s claims are based on the behavior of the disease, according to the Center for Control and Prevention (CDC), which states that most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without the need for hospital treatment. And 1 in 5 people who contract COVID-19 end up having a serious condition and having difficulty breathing.