[ad_1]
By Zelda Venter 
21h ago
Pretoria – While medical experts say the science behind the use of ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19 is inadequate at this stage, the civil rights organization Afriforum has instructed its legal team to investigate possible legal action after the drug that is generally used to treat animals is prohibited for human use.
Afriforum is considering this option after the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority banned the drug, of which 3.7 billion doses had already been distributed.
Although ivermectin has been available for human use in various countries for a while, in South Africa it is used only for livestock.
Afriforum insists that research on studies that have already been carried out globally on the use of Ivermectin be carried out as soon as possible to confirm whether this drug can be used effectively in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus.
“A wide range of studies in various countries shows that ivermectin may possibly be effective in treating the virus,” said Barend Uys, head of research at Afriforum.
According to him, it was irrational to approve the use of a vaccine that had been developed in a few months and, at the same time, to ban the use of a drug that had been shown to be safe and had been used for four decades.
“Farmers have been using ivermectin as a livestock product for many years and it is readily available in their medicine cabinets,” Uys said.
“The Southern Africa Agricultural Initiative (Saai) has a direct interest in protecting farm families and their workers and the request for approval of procedures, dosages and regulations for human consumption of Ivermectin is both fair and urgent, Dr. Theo De Jager, Saai chairman of the board of directors said.
In an interview with IOL this week, Professor Sakim Abdool Karim cautioned against the administration of ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, as current evidence is seriously inadequate for its prescription.
Meanwhile, Etienne de Beer, a resident of Pretoria East, said he has placed his order for ivermectin.
“I have nothing to lose. People say it’s working and I’m going to take a chance. I’ll save it, in case I contract Covid-19.”
Pretoria News
[ad_2]
