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Review
. 2021 Jan 10:329:758-761.
doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.10.009. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Ivermectin: an award-winning drug with expected antiviral activity against COVID-19

Fabio Rocha Formiga  1 , Roger Leblanc  2 , Juliana de Souza Rebouças  3 , Leonardo Paiva Farias  4 , Ronaldo Nascimento de Oliveira  5 , Lindomar Pena  6
Affiliations
Review

Ivermectin: an award-winning drug with expected antiviral activity against COVID-19

Fabio Rocha Formiga et al. J Control Release. .

Abstract

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent with demonstrated antiviral activity against a number of DNA and RNA viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite this promise, the antiviral activity of ivermectin has not been consistently proven in vivo. While ivermectin's activity against SARS-CoV-2 is currently under investigation in patients, insufficient emphasis has been placed on formulation challenges. Here, we discuss challenges surrounding the use of ivermectin in the context of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and how novel formulations employing micro- and nanotechnologies may address these concerns.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors deny the existence of any conflicts of interest.

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