This electron microscope photo provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases shows the coronavirus isolated at the facility. (Photo Courtesy of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

       The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about ivermectin, which is drawing attention as a possible cure for COVID-19.

       Question: What kind of a medicine is ivermectin in the first place?

       Answer: It has saved the lives of many people in Asia and Africa as a treatment for onchocerciasis, a parasitic disease that causes blindness, and lymphatic filariasis, which can lead to hardened and enlarged skin.

       It is known that Japanese biochemist Satoshi Omura, a distinguished emeritus professor of Kitasato University who received the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2015, contributed to the medicine's development. In the 1970s, he discovered an antibiotic that is effective against parasites from the chemical substances produced by a new type of fungus in the soil around a golf course. Ivermectin was developed by changing a part of the structure of the substance.

       Q: Why would a medicine for parasites be used to treat COVID-19?

       A: Ivermectin attracted attention after experiments using cells confirmed that it was effective in suppressing the increase of the coronavirus. It is thought that the medicine prevents the coronavirus from interfering with the function of innate immunity that is inherent in humans. Ivermectin also seems to have the effect of decreasing inflammation that occurs in the body due to an excessive immune reaction.

       Q: Is it being used to treat coronavirus patients?

       A: Ivermectin is being used to treat COVID-19 patients in Brazil and Peru, among other places, but it has not yet been approved in Japan. In March, the World Health Organization recommended that it be used only in clinical trials as the evidence on its effects is "of very low certainty."

       The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is concerned about side effects, and said it received "multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses."

       Large-scale clinical trials are being conducted in the U.K., and pharmaceutical companies in Japan are also planning to engage in clinical trials. We are hoping for an early judgment as to whether ivermectin is effective in treating the coronavirus.

       (Japanese original by Yuki Ogawa, Lifestyle and Medical News Department)

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