The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro bench research evaluating viral replication in cell culture without human or animal data.
PubMed 32251768 · doi:10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104787
What was done
Vero-hSLAM cells were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and treated with a single addition of ivermectin 2 hours post-infection to evaluate its in vitro effect on viral RNA replication.
What was found
A single addition of ivermectin produced an approximately ~5000-fold reduction in SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA at 48 hours.
Why it matters
This study provided the initial laboratory demonstration of in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity for ivermectin, serving as the benchmark mechanistic reference for subsequent research.
Limits
Findings are strictly limited to non-human cell culture (Vero-hSLAM cells) and do not provide in vivo safety, therapeutic dosing, pharmacokinetic, or clinical efficacy data. The abstract does not specify the drug concentration used, cytotoxicity thresholds, or sample replicates.
Cited by
- supports A June 2020 in vitro study found that a 5 micromolar concentration of ivermectin reduced SARS-CoV-2 viral replication by approximately 5,000-fold in cell culture.