REVIEW ARTICLE


Intranasal Ivermectin Spray, the Sunscreen to COVID-19



Samuel A. Stetkevich1, *, Madison J. Anzelc1, Craig G. Burkhart2, 3
1 Deptartment of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, USA
2 University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, USA
3 Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH, USA


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Creative Commons License
© 2022 Stetkevich et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Deptartment of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, 1215 N Holland Sylvania Rd. Apt #09 Toledo, OH 43615, USA; Tel: (951) 801-8161; E-mail:samuel.stetkevich@rockets.utoledo.edu


Abstract

Throughout the battle against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), various medications have been repurposed in hopes of finding a successful treatment modality to combat the global pandemic. One medication that has recently begun to show promising advancement in clinical trials is the well-known anti-parasitic medication, ivermectin. In this review, we delve into ivermectin and its use as a therapeutic agent against COVID-19. The foundation of how ivermectin treats COVID-19 lies in its ability to inhibit the viral replication process. After assessing the mechanism, pharmacokinetic properties, and current uses of ivermectin, we hypothesized that administering ivermectin intranasally would best capitalize on the inhibitory qualities while avoiding dangerous dosages that would be achieved with oral treatment. Therefore, we propose early use of ivermectin to limit viral replication and severity, as well as prophylactic administration of ivermectin to protect those in high-exposure environments.

Keywords: Ivermectin, COVID-19, Pharmacology, Preventative medicine, Infectious disease, Pharmacokinetics.