A randomized controlled trial conducted among 157 patients admitted with mild to moderate COVID-19 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) revealed that ivermectin did not reduce the viral load or duration of symptoms in the patients, even at higher doses.

The trial was conducted during the first surge between July and September, 2020, and has been published in the Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy. The study participants were divided into three groups – one received 12mg Ivermectin (dosage usually prescribed by doctors), the second group was given 24mg of ivermectin, and the third group received a placebo. The proportion of patients testing RT-PCR negative on Day 5 was found to be higher among the patients in the high-dose ivermectin arm as compared to those who received lower dose of the drug or placebo; however, it was not significantly high (47.5% vs. 35% among those who were given lower dose of ivermectin vs. 31.1% in the placebo group)… (HT, September 10, 2021)