MANILA – There is no need for the Philippines to conduct its own clinical trial of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin against COVID-19.
This is the stand of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) amid the debates on the use of ivermectin to patients infected with coronavirus.
“The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) is of the position that there is no need to conduct another clinical trial in the Philippines,” the agency said in a statement.
According to PCHRD, there are already 20 clinical trials conducted for ivermectin around the world, and some 40 studies are still ongoing.
A clinical trial is an experiment to determine the safety and efficacy of certain health technology, like medicines and vaccines.
A minimum of six months is required to conduct the said study, but can be extended to more than a year, PCHRD said.
READ: DOST-PCHRD says there is no need for the Philippines to conduct its own clinical trials for ivermectin, as 40 studies on the drug are still ongoing.
— Christian Yosores (@chrisyosores) April 9, 2021
"Clinical trial projects will require a minimum of 6 months and can extend to years." | @BomboRadyoNews pic.twitter.com/r5PvGGwvyy
“That is how long we have to wait to have results and conclusions.”
“As most ongoing clinical trials have already been implemented since 2020, it would be appropriate to await the results of these studies that are already significantly advanced in terms of data collection and conducting interim analyses.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently granted a “compassionate special permit” (CSP) to a hospital to use ivermectin among its COVID-19 patients.
FDA director-general Eric Domingo earlier clarified that a CSP is not equivalent to marketing authority.
“CSP is not a marketing authorization. You cannot sell it and market it commercially.”
Currently, there is no registered human-grade ivermectin in the country, except for a topical cream for skin, according to FDA.
