According to a report published in the Times, Oxford University researchers are planning to prepare a large-scale trial of an economical drug that can help in reducing COVID-19 deaths globally.

The main purpose of the trial is to find treatments that can be used at home, soon after COVID-19 symptoms appear and to identify the disease early and also prevent any serious ailment.

The batch of medicines that are included in the trial isivermectin, as for decades it has been used to treat livestock and in people who are infested with parasitic worms. Few supporters call it a “wonder drug," but many others stated that it has not been properly assessed.

Chris Butler, professor of primary care, University of Oxford and also a co-chief of the trial, said that as the drug has possible antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties but there is a gap in the available data. There isn’t any rigorous trial.

Recently, the World Health Organization suggested that it has promising effects. The drug is been approved as a topical agent for skin infections in the U.K.

Source: mint