aDepartment of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), 50670-420 Recife, PE, Brazil eLaboratory of Inf

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

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2022-01-14 22:30:08

aDepartment of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), 50670-420 Recife, PE, Brazil

eLaboratory of Inflammation and Biomarkers, Gonçalo Moniz Institute (IGM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), 40296-710 Salvador, BA, Brazil

fBioactive Compounds Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), 52171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil

gDepartment of Virology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), 50670-420 Recife, PE, Brazil

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.

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ömura for their discoveries leading to ivermectin [1]. In addition to its extraordinary efficacy against parasitic diseases, ivermectin continues to offer new clinical applications due to its ability to be repurposed to treat new classes of diseases. Beyond its invaluable therapeutic role in onchocerciasis and strongyloidiasis, an increasing body of evidence points to the potential of ivermectin as an antiviral agent.

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