Japanese Trial Confirms Ivermectin Works as Antiviral Against Coronavirus Variants, Including Omicron

Japanese pharmaceutical company Kowa Co. has issued a press release stating it has confirmed that ivermectin works as an antiviral against Omicron and other variants of coronavirus.

Ivermectin in Japan

抗ウイルス効果があることを確認いたしました。 (We have confirmed that there is an anti-viral effect.)

The Japanese-language press release uses the word 確認, which means confirmation.

Kowa had been doing non-clinical research with Tokyo’s Kitasato University to investigate the drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19. The company is now in the middle of a Phase III clinical trial.

Ivermectin, most known for treating intestinal parasites in humans and animals, but also prescribed off-label for various ailments such as rosacea, has been the subject of controversy due to American pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions written by doctors for their patients this past year.

The clinical trial, commenced on November 12, is already showing ivermectin’s efficacy, prompting Kowa to issue the press release ahead of the study’s formal conclusion date of March 31.

Kowa has assigned the code K-237 to the drug and is dispensing it at a daily dosage of 0.3-0.4mg/kg. Trial participants who are not in the placebo group have been taking 3-mg tablets of ivermectin.

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From joint research with Kitasato University in using ivermectin for the treatment of novel coronavirus disease, Kowa Co., Ltd. (“Kowa”) is in phase III clinical trials (development code: K-237) and confirms there is an antiviral effect against omicron, as well as existing variants, such as alpha, beta, gamma and delta.

As announced in July 2021, Kowa received a direct request from Professor Satoshi Omura, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, to conduct a clinical trial of ivermectin as a therapeutic drug for the novel coronavirus infection. We believe that it is the mission of pharmaceutical companies to contribute to the treatment of COVID-19 infections and protect the health of the people, and we are conducting clinical trials to confirm the efficacy and safety of ivermectin against covid-19.

Ivermectin has been distributed by the WHO to infected areas for more than 30 years as a drug for parasitic infections. In some African countries in particular, it is safe enough for volunteers to distribute directly to people. In addition, Ivermectin has been reported to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 invasion into and replication in cells, and is expected to be used as a repurposed drug (tablets) for the treatment of novel coronavirus infections. The dose in this clinical trial differs from the dosage already approved for parasitic infectious diseases, but the efficacy and safety are confirmed.

Kowa is contributing to the treatment of the novel coronavirus disease by confirming the clinical efficacy of Ivermectin on SARS-CoV-2 and providing it to the public as soon as possible.

* Though there have been reports from overseas of adverse events after patients’ use of veterinary ivermectin, Kowa is conducting clinical trials of ivermectin in accordance with the strict standards set out in the “GCP” (Good Clinical Practice), which is the implementation standard for clinical trials of pharmaceuticals against humans.

Source: https://www.kowa.co.jp/news/2022/press220131.pdf