Lagos approves clinical trial of Ivermectin drug for COVID-19 treatment

*The Ivermectin medication has not yet been approved for the ‘broad treatment’ of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, but the government has taken a bold step in ensuring adequate stocks of the medication

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

The Lagos State Government (LASG) has approved clinical trial of the drug Ivermectin to assess its effectiveness against the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved broad spectrum anti-parasitic agent that has been shown to have anti-viral activity against a broad range of viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and potentially cut the risk of COVID-19 deaths by as much as 75%, according to researchers at the University of Liverpool, in the United Kingdom (UK).

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State in a Twitter post stated: “While this medication has not yet been approved for the broad treatment of the Coronavirus disease, the state government has, however, taken the bold step of ensuring we have adequate stocks.”

The governor disclosed Lagos is having a testing positivity rate of 24 percent with 9,856 active cases of the illness while oxygen demand has spiked to 300 to 400 cylinders from 70 cylinders a day as more people come down with symptoms.

Nearly 2,000 people have died from the Coronavirus in Africa’s most populous country of more than 200 million people since its first case February 27, 2020.

The country has recorded more than 131,000 cases.