Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research? Part 3

Yet more worrisome issues in the ivermectin literature calls into question why people started promoting the drug at all for Covid-19

Pictured: Pills. Probably not ivermectin, but a much nicer picture than the stock photos of the actual drug I could find. Source: Unsplash

This is part 3 in what appears to be a deep well of research issues underpinning the entire evidence-base for ivermectin and Covid-19. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

Shortly before publication, the journal that published the study in question retracted the paper to correct it. It was then re-uploaded with many of the same errors still in place, and is currently online. This article was written in concert with a much more detailed investigative piece by Stephanie Lee and Ken Bensinger at Buzzfeed, which you can find here.

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medication that has been used for some time to treat various wormy infestations. It’s safe, effective, and has won people a Nobel prize for it’s amazing efficacy and utility. It’s also been used as a treatment for Covid-19, because of a few very positive trials that seemed to show a massive benefit for the drug.

One of these studies has been relied on heavily for months as evidence that ivermectin is effective for prophylaxis against Covid-19 — in other words, to prove that taking ivermectin can…