Do these cures actually work?

Ivermectin is no cure to Covid

Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug that was pushed as an “alternative” cure for COVID-19 by social media groups and high-profile podcaster Joe Rogan, has “no significant effects” when used to treat the coronavirus, according to the biggest study yet of the drug’s potential.

The TOGETHER study saw 3,515 COVID-19 patients in Brazil randomly assigned one of three treatment paths: ivermectin, a placebo, or a third option. Neither doctors nor patients knew which of the three options each individual was given. 

The peer-reviewed results of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that patients who were given ivermectin experienced similar outcomes to those who received a placebo. In all, 14.7 per cent of the ivermectin group were hospitalised due to worsening COVID-19, or experienced an emergency room visit of more than six hours due to their deteriorating condition, compared to 16.3 per cent of the placebo group.

All patients selected for the study were aged over 18 and had at least one condition placing them at higher risk of severe COVID-19.

“In this randomised trial, the administration of ivermectin did not result in a lower incidence of medical admission to a hospital or prolonged emergency department observation for Covid-19 among outpatients at high risk for serious illness,” the researchers concluded.

China to push traditional cure

As Hong Kong’s outbreak became the deadliest in the world, among the aid Beijing sent to the financial hub were 1 million packets of honeysuckle, rhubarb root, sweet wormwood herb and other natural ingredients, all mixed according to principles of traditional Chinese medicine. 

Practitioners of the centuries-old medicinal system argue such herbal combinations can be just as effective as antiviral pills like Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid. 

“Unlike Western medicine that targets the virus itself, the way TCM works against Covid is to first effect change in the environment of our human body,” said Liu Qingquan, dean of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. “Once the environment changes, the virus can no longer survive.”

Western medicine explicitly explains how the active ingredients of a drug are processed in the body, but TCM’s proponents face challenges showing how the various components in a concoction work. While studies done in China claim TCM has benefits for Covid patients, critics say there are problems in the way the trials are designed and executed, and these prevent researchers from reaching unbiased and convincing conclusions. 

Even Singapore, with a large ethnic-Chinese population accustomed to traditional medicines, has warned citizens not to take Lianhua Qingwen as a Covid treatment. “To date, there is no scientific evidence from randomised clinical trials to show that any herbal product, including Lianhua Qingwen products, can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19,” Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority said on Nov. 17. “We strongly advise members of the public not to fall prey to unsubstantiated claims or spread unfounded rumours that herbal products can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Back in Hong Kong, officials are planning to send herbal remedies to every household. The city recently started receiving significant supplies of antivirals, creating a chance to compare them with TCM, said Dennis Lam, convener of the Hong Kong Alliance of Integrated Medicine Against Covid. “This provides an opportunity for us to make a good randomized controlled trial,” he said, “so maybe we will be able to share more about how good they are.”