Australian scientists discover head lice drug kills coronavirus in lab

[DavidsSling]

A Monash University-led study has shown the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin has been found to kill COVID-19 in the lab within 48 hours.

A single dose of the drug, available throughout the world, could stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in cell culture.

"We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA (effectively remove all genetic material of the virus) by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it," Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute's Dr Kylie Wagstaff said on Friday.

While it's not known how Ivermectin works on the virus, it's likely the drug stops the virus by dampening the host cells' ability to clear it.

The next step is for scientists to determine the correct human dosage, to make sure the level used in vitro (in lab conditions) is safe for humans.

"In times when we're having a global pandemic and there isn't an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner," Dr Wagstaff said.

"Realistically it's going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available."

Before Ivermectin can be used to combat coronavirus, funding is needed to get it to pre-clinical testing and clinical trials.

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug also shown to be effective in vitro against viruses including HIV, dengue and influenza.

- Reported with AAP

https://www.9news.com.au/national/c...19-world/d64ec46d-27c5-4fd5-ae8a-3a537e7402c3

 

[Yousafzai_M]

This is becoming tiring now. Everyday there is a breaking news of a medicine or vaccine to get people excited, only to read somewhere hidden in the column that it will take 12-18 months.

We need something in 12-18 days!

 

[Turingsage]

It is useful to have drugs that are active against convid-19 virus . However 97% of active drugs FAIL in real clinical trials for a whole array of reasons.
Overwhelming majority of these "active" drugs are more dangerous than the disease in real world situations or inactive

 

[Dark-Destroyer]

This is becoming tiring now. Everyday there is a breaking news of a medicine or vaccine to get people excited, only to read somewhere hidden in the column that it will take 12-18 months.

We need something in 12-18 days!

Unfortunately 12-18 days could be an issue due to the side effects it could potentially have thats why testing i believe is important i could be wrong

 

[Daghalodi]

All the drugs tested are actually tested for HIV. SARs Cov 2 has alot of genomes of HIV.

 

[DavidsSling]

Unfortunately 12-18 days could be an issue due to the side effects it could potentially have thats why testing i believe is important i could be wrong

Exactly, these aren't cures but they are close and need time to be tested, that's what the article says.

 

[Indos]

This is becoming tiring now. Everyday there is a breaking news of a medicine or vaccine to get people excited, only to read somewhere hidden in the column that it will take 12-18 months.

We need something in 12-18 days!

This drug has already been approved by FDA and widely use for another sickness, so I think it doesnt need to wait until 1 year to start treating Covid 19 patients as new drugs will do. Current treatment of Covid 19 patients are all also used existing drugs.

 

[DavidsSling]

Melbourne researchers say an anti-parasitic drug commonly used to combat head lice has been found to kill the virus that causes COVID-19 in the lab within 48 hours.

A Monash University-led study has shown a high dose of the common drug Ivermectin could stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in human cells in a dish.

An electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange) emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab. CREDIT:NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

However, results in a test tube are a long way from results in a human. Many compounds show promise at early stages of research only to fail later. The amount used in the initial tests is also much higher than a standard human dose.

But the results are particularly interesting because Ivermectin has been widely studied in humans and is considered reasonably safe. It is on the World Health Organisation's list of essential medicines.

The scientists are now hoping to secure funding for further trials.

Dr Kylie Wagstaff, from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, said that because it is going to be some time until a broadly available vaccine for COVID-19 is ready, a compound like Ivermectin which is available worldwide could "help people sooner" if proven effective.

“Because it’s FDA-approved, if we show enough efficacy in pre-clinical work we can move it straight through to humans," she said. "We’re not looking for safety, we’re just looking for efficacy."

But she warned against people trying to access the prescription-only drug prior to it going through human clinical trials, which would require funding.

"Like every medication, it is prescription for a reason. And it’s not approved for anti-viral use at all. It’s definitely still in the experimental realm," Dr Wagstaff said.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
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The drug, which is used to treat a range of parasite infections, is one of many being trialled in the race to find a cure for COVID-19. Experimental drugs such as those developed to combat malaria, HIV and Ebola are also being tested.

After reports of the drug's success inside a petri dish circled on Saturday, Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos reminded the public that it would be "lethal" for people to swallow lice medication.

"We have seen people overseas who have heard about potential developments and ingested drugs which have been used in a completely inappropriate way and died," she said at a press conference.

"There’s no reason to be buying lice treatment unless you’re going to be [using it] on your children’s hair."

The important next step is for scientists to determine the correct human dosage for Ivermectin.


CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

It is not known exactly how Ivermectin works against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but the drug compound is thought to be an inhibitor of one of the cell's natural processes, which scientists believe is hijacked by a number of viruses to get around the immune responses of humans.

Some RNA viruses use the cell's own transport system to send a protein into the cell's nucleus that blocks the immune system from attacking the virus. Ivermectin targets not the virus but the transport system, effectively blocking the virus's own defences.

Australian universities competing rather than collaborating in race to find COVID-19 vaccines
“Because it’s directed against the host, it can have effects on the rest of the body. But it’s been around for 30 years, it’s been in hundreds of thousands of people," Dr Wagstaff said.

"Because it targets the cell, we have shown it is quite effective against a lot of different RNA viruses. COVID-19 is an RNA virus. We suspect it uses this same mechanism.”

Ivermectin has also been shown to be effective in lab dishes against viruses including HIV, dengue and influenza.

The study is the joint work of Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, with the findings published in the journal Antiviral Research.

With AAP

https://www.theage.com.au/national/...kills-coronavirus-in-lab-20200404-p54h15.html