Head lice drug emerges as potential coronavirus treatment

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

ABC News

Head lice drug emerges as potential coronavirus treatment, studies show

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/head-lice-drug-emerges-potential-coronavirus-treatment-studies/story?id=70119724&cid=clicksource_4380645_4_three_posts_card_hed

Quote

...The development of ivermectin as an anti-parasitic treatment dates back to the 1970s and 1980s, first as a veterinary treatment for nematodes in cattle and later as a way to combat river blindness in humans. More recently, ivermectin is known for its topical use in treating head lice. It's use in treating those and other parasites has earned ivermectin a spot on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines.

But now, researchers are looking to the drug for broader use in killing off SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – and earlier this month, a team of scientists in Australia found just that in test tubes....

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

In my (limited Summer camp) experience, only a few providers knew about the ivermectin dosing (one now, one in 7-10 days pills) for lice! It's well-known to public heath but far more tropical than to be seen here....still, interesting. Although Ivermectin is not completely benign. I believe liver complications were involved. I'd probably take the liver complications over the COVID complications any day!

We learned with HIV infection that we need to hit the virus at multiple points - entry, attachment to human cells, replication. We don't do this with the common cold and that's probably why Tamilflu isn't working so well at this point. Who knew that virology was going to be sexy one day?

[toomuchbaloney]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3043740/

Oh please, oh please let this be a definitive and effective basis for treatment.