Coronavirus: Bangladesh doctors say treatment using anti-parasite drug gave 'astounding' results
A Bangladeshi medical team combined Ivermectin -- generally used for de-worming and as a treatment against head lice and scabies -- with the antibiotic Doxycycline to treat infections.
In Short
- Combo helped dozens recover, say doctors
- Say they got better within 4 days; no side-effects
- Ivermectin stopped virus growth in cell culture: Study
A combination of an anti-parasite drug with an antibiotic produced "astounding" results when used to treat the coronavirus, helping dozens of patients recover within four days without side effects, medical experts in Bangladesh say.
A medical team lead by Dr Md Tarek Alam, head of the Bangladesh Medical College Hospital's medicine department, reported the findings, according to PTI.
The team combined Ivermectin -- generally used for de-worming and as a treatment against head lice and scabies -- with the antibiotic Doxycycline.
All 60 patients who received the treatment recovered, Dr Alam said.
In early April, a study reported that Ivermectin stopped the coronavirus from growing in cell culture within two days, according to the news agency.
No widely approved treatments exist yet for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
But a U.S. trial showed that Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir cut hospital stays by 31 per cent compared with a placebo, although it didn't significantly improve survival. The U.S. granted the drug authorisation for emergency use on May 1.
Japan, too, has granted emergency approval.
Inputs from agencies