Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 6573/14 Badaro, Lebanon.
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut P.O. Box 115020, Lebanon.
Viruses. 2021 May 26;13(6):989. doi: 10.3390/v13060989.
This study was designed to determine the efficacy of ivermectin, an FDA-approved drug, in producing clinical benefits and decreasing the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic subjects that tested positive for this virus in Lebanon.
A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 100 asymptomatic Lebanese subjects that have tested positive for SARS-CoV2. Fifty patients received standard preventive treatment, mainly supplements, and the experimental group received a single dose (according to body weight) of ivermectin, in addition to the same supplements the control group received.
There was no significant difference ( = 0.06) between Ct-values of the two groups before the regimen was started (day zero), indicating that subjects in both groups had similar viral loads. At 72 h after the regimen started, the increase in Ct-values was dramatically higher in the ivermectin than in the control group. In the ivermectin group, Ct increased from 15.13 ± 2.07 (day zero) to 30.14 ± 6.22 (day three; mean ± SD), compared to the control group, where the Ct values increased only from 14.20 ± 2.48 (day zero) to 18.96 ± 3.26 (day three; mean ± SD). Moreover, more subjects in the control group developed clinical symptoms. Three individuals (6%) required hospitalization, compared to the ivermectin group (0%).
Ivermectin appears to be efficacious in providing clinical benefits in a randomized treatment of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-positive subjects, effectively resulting in fewer symptoms, lower viral load and reduced hospital admissions. However, larger-scale trials are warranted for this conclusion to be further cemented.
本研究旨在确定伊维菌素（一种获得美国食品药品监督管理局批准的药物）在治疗黎巴嫩无症状、新冠病毒检测呈阳性的受试者方面的疗效，以及降低他们体内新冠病毒载量的效果。
我们开展了一项随机对照试验，纳入了 100 名无症状的黎巴嫩新冠病毒检测呈阳性的受试者。其中 50 名患者接受了标准预防治疗，主要是补充剂治疗，实验组接受了一剂（根据体重）伊维菌素，此外还接受了与对照组相同的补充剂。
两组在开始治疗（第 0 天）前的 Ct 值没有显著差异（P=0.06），这表明两组受试者的病毒载量相似。在开始治疗后 72 小时，伊维菌素组的 Ct 值增加明显高于对照组。伊维菌素组的 Ct 值从 15.13±2.07（第 0 天）增加到 30.14±6.22（第 3 天；平均值±标准差），而对照组的 Ct 值仅从 14.20±2.48（第 0 天）增加到 18.96±3.26（第 3 天；平均值±标准差）。此外，对照组中更多的受试者出现了临床症状。有 3 名患者（6%）需要住院治疗，而伊维菌素组无患者需要住院（0%）。
伊维菌素在治疗无症状新冠病毒检测呈阳性的受试者时，似乎能提供临床益处，有效降低症状发生率、病毒载量和住院率。然而，还需要更大规模的试验来进一步证实这一结论。
