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The department remains skeptical
National health spokesman Popo Maja told TimesLIVE that the minister “took note” of the letter from Shaik Emam’s lawyer.
“The minister will have a meeting with the health portfolio committee on Thursday, January 7. Hopefully, the deputy will raise the matter there, ”he said.
Shaik Emam said he was forced to train a lawyer because all attempts to raise the matter formally were unsuccessful.
“I was only informed very late of the possibility of the health portfolio committee meeting. There will be many issues on the agenda, so who can say that we are even going to discuss this issue, which is a matter of life and death, “he said.
Key findings from a health department review document, dated Dec. 21, to investigate whether the drug should be used in the management of Covid-19 patients compared with no intervention or as an alternative intervention, found that the “Evidence for efficacy and safety is very uncertain, the early phase studies were of very low quality, and there is very low-certainty evidence.”
The recommendation was that ivermectin should not be used for adults with Covid-19 and that eligible Covid-19 patients should be considered for enrollment in relevant therapeutic trials.
The document noted that while ivermectin is not approved globally as an antiviral agent or registered in South Africa for human consumption, it is accessible through section 21 approval.
The paper said that common side effects associated with ivermectin are diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, drowsiness, and dizziness, and that while it had considered the Kory alliance review, it was insufficient.
He noted that, as of Dec. 21, 37 registered clinical trials investigating the drug had been completed, but the results had not yet been published.
TimesLIVE
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