THE Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) and the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is appalled and concerned at the widespread illegal sales of ivermectin throughout the country, as Malaysians scour great heights for the touted “wonder drug” claimed to be able to prevent Covid-19 infections.
Over the past few weeks, several raids were conducted by pharmacy enforcement branches from all over Malaysia and resulted in illegal ivermectin being confiscated. This matter was made worse when certain politicians in Parliament and the Consumer Association of Penang were pushing the use of this prophylactic drug against Covid-19 infections, despite the questionable quality of the evidence.
Ivermectin is a Group B poison that has not been registered in Malaysia for the use in Covid-19 treatment or prevention in humans. Ivermectin has only been approved for off-label use for clinical trials at 12 hospitals in Malaysia. Therefore, ivermectin cannot be prescribed by any doctor or compounded and dispensed by any pharmacists other than in the approved indication, as per the Health Ministry directive.
If an individual is caught selling ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of Covid-19, they can be fined from RM25,000 to RM50,000.
Since the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, both observational and randomised studies have evaluated ivermectin as a treatment for and as prophylaxis against Covid-19 infection.
However, there is low-certainty evidence that ivermectin prophylaxis has reduced Covid-19. It is imperative that the public understands that uncontrolled usage of ivermectin can cause side effects that may be damaging.
The MPS and MMA call for such illegal activities to cease as they may have detrimental effects on community healthcare. We encourage Malaysians to trust the Covid-19 vaccines, which have already shown their effect in reducing the infection rate and mortality, such as the case for the Federal Territory of Labuan recently. – The Vibes, July 28, 2021
Amrahi Buang is the president of the Malaysian Pharmacists Society, while Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy is the president of the Malaysian Medical Association
