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THE HEALTH | JUNE-JULY , 2021
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PPIM wants Ivermectin approval
NGO also lodges police report against MoH for not using Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 patients
BY FATIHAH MANAF
THE MALAYSIA Muslim Consumers Association ( PPIM ) is hopeful that Malaysia will approve the use of Ivermectin in treating Covid-19 patients .
Its President Dato ’ Nadzim Johan told The Health : “ We hope that Ivermectin will be allowed in Malaysia for those who want it .
“ We ’ re not making this an issue . Just like vaccines , we should not force people to take it .”
PPIM was one of the NGOs that signed a letter calling for the approval of Ivermectin as Plan B for vaccination .
In February , the letter , also signed by several associations and individuals , urged the government to approve the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 patients in Malaysia .
The letter shared the benefits of Ivermectin as a low-cost medicine that outweighed its adverse side effects . The letter stated that many countries had used Ivermectin to treat diseases many years ago . However , in Malaysia , the usage was only limited to treatment for animals .
According to the letter , Ivermectin ,
Nadzim an anti-parasitic and antiviral drug , was developed by Japan in 1975 . More than 3.7 billion doses were distributed globally and used by millions of people in the last 30 years or so , with no reported adverse side effects or deaths .
The letter also addressed the need for ‘ Plan B ’ by the government given the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country . It said the approval for Ivermectin is a safe , cheap and effective ‘ weapon ’ against Covid-19 should be done quickly .
It also pointed out that the Ministry of Health ( MoH ) had given conditional approval to the controversial Pfizer experimental mRNA vaccine without any clinical trials in Malaysia .
The letter received a mixed response from the public . Some were hopeful to have an affordable and effective alternative treatment for Covid-19 , but many were sceptical .
Police report lodged
PPIM also upped the ante on June 23 by lodging a police report against the MoH for refusing to use Ivermectin to prevent the spread of Covid-19 .
Nadzim said the ministry ’ s refusal to consider Ivermectin was a criminal offence as more than 2,300 Covid-19 patients had died in Malaysia .
“ Numerous clinical trials have proven that Ivermectin can reduce the risk of infection at 88 per cent . It can also reduce the fatality rate at 83 per cent , and many prophylaxes have also confirmed it can reduce Covid-19 transmissions .
“ Covid-19 deaths are increasing every day , and we should be open and accept the views of others as long as it is proven effective to prevent the spread of Covid- 19 ,” he said .
Science the best weapon
The MoH has yet to approve Ivermectin following the lack of studies and clinical evidence .
On May 16 , the Director-General of Health Malaysia , Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah , in his blog , stated : “ Regulatory bodies including the US FDA and the European EMA , after evaluating these studies , concluded there was insufficient evidence to support Ivermectin as treatment of Covid-19 .
“ The WHO also issued guidelines against Ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19 except in clinical trial settings .”
In his post , Dr Noor Hisham doubted the use of Ivermectin in Covid-19 treatment . He said the MoH could not endorse Ivermectin to prevent or treat the illness without the benefit of evidence from well-designed clinical trials .
Dr Noor Hisham emphasised it was important for MoH to figure out what really worked and hoped this study would correct MOH ’ s perspective on the clinical effectiveness of Ivermectin . He argued that science should remain the best weapon against the SARS-Cov-2 virus , not circumstantial hype .
“ Personally , we can see Ivermectin has been used worldwide , such as in India but is still not allowed in Malaysia . If it is clinically proven to bring more benefits later , then those who want to consume should be allowed to do so ," said Nadzim .
PPIM is an active NGO that strives to change the landscape of consumerism among Muslims in Malaysia . — The Health
MoH starts Ivermectin trial |
ON JUNE 5 , Dr Noor Hisham announced the MoH had begun Ivermectin trials for high-risk Covid-19 patients . The trial was approved by Medical Research and Ethics Committee ( MREC ), MoH , on May 25 .
He stated the study compared Ivermectin treatment ( specific dose with specific duration ) with the standard of care alone . Five hundred subjects from high-risk groups aged 50 years and above admitted to MoH hospitals with mild / moderate
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Covid-19 symptoms ( Stage 2-3 ) will be enrolled in the study . The study aims to determine the efficacy of Ivermectin in preventing the progression of Covid-19 to severe disease ( Stage 4-5 ) and in terms of mortality outcomes .
The World Health Organisation ( WHO ) Covid-19 Solidarity Trial for Covid-19 Treatments ( SOLIDARITY ), which included Malaysia , found insufficient evidence for remdesivir , hydroxychloroquine , interferon and
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lopinavir against the virus .
Dr Noor Hisham shared the Malaysian Consensus Management Guidelines for Covid-19 maintains Favipiravir as the only antiviral therapy for the management of Covid-19 cases . This recommendation , however , may change as more evidence becomes available .
The First-Patient-In ( FPI ) for the Ivermectin trial was on May 31 2021 . The trial is expected to be completed by September .
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