A doctor from the Philippines is defending the use of ivermectin for preventing and treating Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infection despite attempts by the country’s regulatory authorities to restrict its use. In an interview with Philippine television station ABS-CBN, orthopedic surgeon and President of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines, Dr. Benigno Agbayani cited 80 clinical studies that show the anti-parasitic drug is 89 percent effective at preventing infection and 80 percent effective at treating COVID-19.
“I think I’ve read more than anyone on COVID-19,” he said when questioned on his medical credentials. According to him, he spends several hours almost every day reading scientific literature pertaining to the coronavirus. Among the topics he has read the most about is the use of ivermectin against COVID-19.
Agbayani claims to have already prescribed the anti-parasitic drug to over 300 of his own patients with tremendous success. But he did not talk about his own patients during the interview. Instead, he highlighted the success rate reported by many studies, which, according to him, is what his recommendations are based on. (Related: FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug ivermectin can kill the coronavirus within 48 hours, reports new study.)
“As much as anecdotal [pieces of evidence] are good – and we have many – I really prefer that we stick to the science,” said Agbayani. “People are trying to scare us from taking ivermectin. It’s one of the safest drugs in the world.”
