There are claims circulating on social media that Japan approved ivermectin for use in treating COVID-19 but, as this fact check from the AFP makes clear, that’s just not true:
Comments by the Tokyo Medical Association chairman on ivermectin as COVID-19 treatment are now widely shared online in North America. @AFPFactCheck looked into claims that Japan recommends the drug
⚠️Japan has not endorsed ivermectin as Covid-19 treatmenthttps://t.co/yxuhuj5ydx
— Natsuko Fukue (@natfukue) September 8, 2021
What the fact check does say, however, is that Haruo Ozaki, chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association did, explain why a doctor might prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID-19:
Social media posts suggest that Japan’s government recommends using antiparasitic drug ivermectin to treat Covid-19, citing remarks by the chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association. This is misleading; while he cautiously supported the treatment, the association does not represent the country’s government, which has not endorsed ivermectin for that use.
Ozaki went on to say that since we’re in a crisis, “I think we’re in a situation where we can afford to give them this treatment”:
In the video included in the tweet, Ozaki compares the number of Covid-19 cases and mortality rate in African countries that distributed ivermectin once a year for its anti-parasitic properties to those that did not.
“I believe the difference is clear. Of course, one cannot conclude that ivermectin is effective on the basis of these figures, but when we have all these elements, we cannot say that ivermectin is absolutely not effective, at least not me,” he says.
“We can do other studies to confirm its efficacy, but we are in a crisis situation. With regards to the use of ivermectin, it is obviously necessary to obtain the informed consent of the patients, and I think we’re in a situation where we can afford to give them this treatment,” Ozaki adds.
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The fact check also noted that clinical trials of the drug are ongoing:
Clinical trials are ongoing around the world to find out its potential effects on Covid-19 patients, but a recent spike in ivermectin prescriptions prompted the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) to release a statement warning of the potential harmful effects of the drug if misused.
So, not a “horse dewormer,” CNN?
'Bro, Do I Have to Sue CNN?' Joe Rogan Rages at Network and Jim Acosta, Claims They're 'Making Sh*t Up' About His Use of Ivermectin https://t.co/zBbi0FORKJ
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) September 7, 2021
Maybe Joe Rogan should sue:
“They’re making sh** up! They keep saying I’m taking horse dewormer. I literally got it from a doctor. It’s an American company. They won the Nobel Prize in 2015 for use in human beings & CNN is saying I’m taking horse dewormer. They must know that’s a lie.” https://t.co/K35CptGj8r
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 7, 2021
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