Clinical trials will soon begin in Minnesota to test whether or not anti-parasite drug ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19.
The University of Minnesota Medical School will be examining the drug along with two others to determine their effectiveness at combatting the virus.
Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use to treat certain parasite-related conditions, and it is regularly available by prescription.
However, many are harming themselves because they are purchasing versions of the drug meant for large animals like cows and horses at livestock stores and consuming doses of that are too large to be considered safe for humans.
The University of Minnesota is performing a study to determine if ivermectin, fluvoxamine or metformin are effective in treating COVID-19 (file image)
Ivermectin garnered attention on social media after a study found it could inhibit the replication of COVID-19 cells. The drug is approved by the FDA for human use to treat certain parasite-related conditions but people have overdosed using veterinary versions of the drug
Researchers are currently recruiting participants for the study.
To be eligible, a person must be between ages 30 and 85 and have tested positive for COVID-19 n the past three days.
People who are currently hospitalized for any reason, or are taking metformin, insulin, sulfonylurea or have heart, liver of kidney disease are not eligible.
As an incentive, anyone who participates will be offered $400.
Those who are chosen for the study will be placed into one of six groups, each of which will be using a different set of drugs for treatment.
One group will receive ivermectin alone and another will get a combination of ivermectin and metformin, a drug used to treat type 2
