Polk County Commissioners Combee and Braswell both admit taking Ivermectin. And they want you to take this drug too.
But a Study: Ivermectin makes men infertile but more research is needed.
The drug Ivermectin, which some say can fight corona, has disastrous consequences for male fertility. This is according to a new study of African patients suffering from river blindness.
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic agent that has been used for years against river blindness but has also been shown to be effective against scabies and head lice. After some small studies suggested that the drug could treat Covid-19, it has been on a rampage in the US.
In our country, too, a group of general practitioners is propagating its use. Last month, the General Dutch Citizens’ Movement (ANBB) went to court for it unsuccessfully. This is to the chagrin of the RIVM, which states that there is no evidence whatsoever that Ivermectin fights or prevents Covid-19.
Destructive effect
A new study reveals a previously unknown side effect of Ivermectin: male infertility. Nigerian researchers examined the semen of 37 men between the ages of 28 and 57 who had been found to have the parasite that causes river blindness. They did that before and after the Ivermectin course.
What seems? Although very effective against river blindness – up to 99 percent of the larvae in the body are killed – the drug also has a destructive effect on the sperm.
For example, in many men, the number of sperm cells per milliliter of semen decreased by tens of millions after treatment with Ivermectin, or a decrease of sometimes 40 percent or more. The motility of the sperm cells also decreased sharply, in one participant even from 98 percent to only 17 percent.
Ivermectin is mainly prescribed by veterinarians in the West. © AP
Infertility
Meanwhile, the number of abnormal sperm cells (for example, two tails, two heads, one disproportionate head) multiplied by a factor of three to six in many cases.
Taken together, according to the researchers, that is enough for infertility in all 37 men. “While there were no noticeable changes in semen volumes, semen viscosity, and liquefaction time, the results of this study are sufficient to suggest that Ivermectin causes infertility in these patients.” It is not stated in the study how long the effect lasts after stopping the course.
The results confirm previous studies showing that Ivermectin has negative effects on the semen quality of male animals. ‘However, research in humans into the effect of Ivermectin on male fertility is scarce,’ write the Nigerian researchers about the reason for their study.
More research needed
One of the exceptions is a recent report stating that 85 percent of men prescribed Ivermectin at a particular clinic were later diagnosed with poor sperm quality.
In their paper, the researchers advise caution with the drug, especially now that treatment with Ivermectin for river blindness is often repeated annually in Africa. They argue that more research is needed. For example, it must be examined why and how the drug affects the sperm quality and at what dose. “It should also be determined whether ivermectin therapy has side effects on other organs in the body, such as liver, kidneys, heart, lungs and red blood cells.”
In the meantime, health authorities, including RIVM boss Jaap van Dissel, continue to emphasize that the beneficial effect of Ivermectin against Covid-19 is unproven. However, several large studies are underway into the use of the drug for this purpose. At the end of March, the Youth and Family Inspectorate offered general practitioners a fine of up to 150,000 euros if they prescribe the drug – or other medicines such as hydroxychloroquine – against corona.
‘No horse’
The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently warned explicitly against self-treatment, especially now that the drug is available in doses for livestock. ‘You’re not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously folks, stop it all!’ the FDA tweeted.
“For starters, veterinary drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used on large animals such as horses and cows,” the FDA said in a statement. “They weigh much more than we do, easily 500 kilograms or more. Such high doses can be very toxic in humans.”
FDA rejects 2011 Nigeria study, “Concerns over the scientific research methods, the veracity of the original, peer-reviewed report and public statements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saying that infertility is not a known side effect of Ivermectin.”