By J. Jala, Helen Castano | 08:36 PM September 11, 2021
President Rodrigo Duterte has left to the medical professionals and their patients the decision to use anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to prevent or treat the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Duterte made the remarks in a pre-recorded Talk to the People delivered Friday night but aired Saturday morning.
“If the doctor believes in good faith that it can help and the patient also believes in his heart that he will get well, we leave it up to you to decide,” Duterte said in a taped Cabinet meeting that aired Saturday.
He continued, “Kasi mahirap naman masisi na kung totoo talagang effective, tapos pipigilan mo (It would be difficult for me to be blamed if I stop it and it turns out to be effective.)”
Unlike Duterte, the Department of Health (DOH) has repeatedly warned the public against the use of Ivermectin as preventive medicine against Covid-19.
Despite the repeated warnings against Ivermectin, some individuals continue to take the anti-parasitic drug as a cure for the coronavirus.
Duterte said he could not ignore the claims that Ivermectin is effective in treating Covid-19 patients.
“Kasi mahirap naman masisi na kung totoo talagang effective tapos pipigilan mo with the testimony bound, plus ‘yung maraming taong nagsabi na gumaling sila (So, it’s hard to be blamed if it’s really effective and you will stop them despite testimonies and claims of some that they recovered [because of Ivermectin]. So for some people, it would be quite a good gamble to embark on,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration has allowed the compassionate use of Ivermectin for Covid-19 patients.
On the other hand, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is set to begin the clinical trials on the safety and effectiveness of Ivermectin in treating Covid-19 patients in September this year.
The trials, the DOST said, would run for eight months.
Duterte said he would just depend on the government’s “narratives” for now since there are still no “actual” and “definite” findings yet on Ivermectin’s effectiveness.
The United States Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also said that people should not use ivermectin to treat or prevent Covid-19 and have warned that some people have been required medical attention after self-medicating with the drug.
“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,” the FDA tweeted.
Broadcaster Korina Sanchez-Roxas made a buzz when she revealed she uses Ivermectin in preventing Covid-19 even if she is fully vaccinated.
In Bohol, Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan has appealed to the government to allow the use of anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin for
treatment and prevention purposes of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
In his weekly “The Doctor Is In”, Dumaluan said Ivermectin has been proven to be safe and effective for years.
He said he has treated more than 1,000 patients using Ivermectin since the start of the pandemic.
“They are cured. They are well. Nobody dies of Ivermectin,” he said. with a report from PNA
