Kitasato University in Tokyo will launch a clinical trial of the antiparasitic drug known as Ivermectin, to gauge its effectiveness in treating the new coronavirus, as soon as this summer.
The university plans to apply for the drug's approval within a year, after carefully examining its effectiveness at various medical institutions in Japan. It is currently considering what number of patients and timing of the drug's administration will allow it to verify the effectiveness.
The university intends to secure the costs of the trial through donations and support from the government.
Ivermectin is a specific drug for tropical diseases that cause blindness due to parasites. Also used in Japan to treat skin conditions, it is inexpensive and has few side effects.
Satoshi Omura, a Nobel laureate and distinguished emeritus professor at the university, discovered related substances in microorganisms in the soil in the 1970s. Currently, about 300 million people worldwide take the drug every year.
In April, researchers announced that they had confirmed the effectiveness of Ivermectin in suppressing the growth of the new coronavirus. A study of 280 inpatients at four hospitals in Florida reported in June that 15% of patients who took the drug died, a death rate about 40% lower than among patients who did not take it.
The governments of Peru and Bolivia approved the drug in May, and 18 medical institutions in the United States, Spain and other countries are conducting clinical research.
The University of Utah and other institutions reported in April that they had reduced the fatality rate of patients who took the drug by analyzing data from 169 hospitals worldwide. However, the patient data used in the analysis were said to be unreliable. Publication of the paper on a scientific site was suspended, and the author resigned.
Hideaki Hanaki, the project leader at Kitasato University, said: "Our university team has also confirmed the effectiveness of the drug several times through experiments using cells. Various studies have been conducted overseas, but we want to make a rigorous evaluation using proper scientific methods."
Ivermectin has become widely used as an antiparasitic drug, and reports of its effectiveness against viral infections started to be published in 2011.
"As Ivermectine has various actions, I wasn't surprised to hear that it's effective for coronavirus," Omura said. "It's a safe medicine as long as you follow the dosage, but it's very important to evaluate it properly and confirm the effect in Japan," he said.
Referring to the fact that Ivermectin is mainly produced in China, he said, "We have to be able to make it in Japan."
Omura clarified that consultations have been begun with domestic companies on the manufacture of Ivermectin.
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