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An overview of the drug Ivermectin.
(Photo by Gallo Images / Ziyaad Douglas)
- Six people have been arrested and charged with carrying unregistered drugs and importing drugs without a license.
- According to police, the suspects were found in possession of “tablets suspected of being ivermectin.”
- Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, has garnered significant attention because some people claim it is a potential cure for Covid-19.
Customs officials at OR Tambo International Airport seized hundreds of thousands of tablets of a drug that some people claim may be a coronavirus remedy, police said Saturday.
Police said in a statement that “tablets suspected of being ivermectin”, worth six million rand, had been seized at the airport in the past two weeks.
Six suspects were arrested and charged with carrying unregistered drugs and importing drugs without a license, according to the statement.
“The unregistered drug, which is primarily in tablet form, is believed to have been imported for sale purposes and would have been used in the treatment of the Covid-19 virus,” he said.
READ ALSO | Regulator issues guidelines for compassionate use access to ivermectin
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic agent, which some people claim is a potential cure for the new coronavirus.
As a result, demand for the drug has increased, despite scientists insisting that there is not yet enough evidence to promote it as a coronavirus remedy.
South Africa’s Health Products Regulatory Authority tentatively approved the controlled use of ivermectin in humans this week, reversing a decision in December to block imports of the drug, which is not produced locally.
The ban sparked outrage among doctors pushing for more ivermectin research and fueled its underground trade.
Ivermectin is primarily used to kill parasites, such as head lice, in both animals and people, and has been widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s to treat river blindness.
It is generally registered for veterinary use in South Africa, but it is not prohibited for humans.
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