GEORGE TOWN – The public has been advised to wait for health authorities to decide whether ivermectin is safe for use in the fight against Covid-19.
Despite the widely held notion that the anti-parasitic drug can stop the coronavirus from replicating, Malaysian Medical Association immediate past president Dr N. Ganabaskaran told The Vibes that people should be patient and wait for the outcome of trials, which should be out soon.
“Ivermectin has been spoken about widely in the world. Some countries have approved it, some have not. The United States Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Association (WHO) have said there is no specific result to show that it is effective against Covid-19.
“But, people being people will feel ‘why not just try it if it can be beneficial?’.”
Many in Malaysia have bought and consumed the drug to prevent Covid-19 infection, not as a cure, he said, adding that there are also recovered patients taking it as a protective measure.
“We don’t know when the government will approve its use, if the government is going to say yes or no (to ivermectin).
“If you are in a country like Malaysia, where we follow international laws and WHO guidelines, it is not so easy to say yes.
Ultimately, it is your choice – if you take something that is not approved, and it works well for you, then fine. But what if it doesn’t? What are you going to do? You cannot blame anyone or complain because it has not been approved.”
Dr Ganabaskaran advised the public to continue to be vigilant and strictly abide by the standard operating procedures.
“That is even more important than vaccination or ivermectin. It will help stop the spread of the virus.”
Last month, the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) voiced its support for the Malaysian Alliance for Effective Covid Control’s call to allow the use of ivermectin under emergency use authorisation in tandem with the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader in a statement said Malaysia would be among the 32 countries worldwide to use the drug as part of Covid-19 preventive and treatment programmes.
“Ivermectin is a low-risk, low-cost and readily available medicine. It has been in use for decades, albeit for different indications.” – The Vibes, September 9, 2021
