Original article (in Serbian) was published on 04/11/2021
Those who advocate the use of ivermectin – a drug against parasites – for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus, point out as an argument that it has been approved for this purpose in various countries, such as Japan. While it is true that ivermectin is part of the anti-covid protocol in some countries, these are mostly underdeveloped countries in Latin America, South Asia and Africa. In Japan, the drug, despite the claims of these people, is not approved against coronavirus.
Ivermectin is a drug against parasites that is given to animals in Serbia, and only exceptionally to humans, for the most severe form of scabies. However, many procure it illegally, without a prescription, and take it for the prevention or treatment of coronavirus, encouraged by a campaign led by the group “Doctors and Parents for Science and Ethics”. They founded the Viber group “Ivermectin Recommendations”, where doctors promote this medicine, claiming that it helped them.
Among other misinformation they rely on – such as the fact that numerous studies have proven its effectiveness against the virus – one of the most common is that the drug is used not only in underdeveloped countries, but also in one highly developed country – Japan.
One of those who spread this disinformation is Sasa Borojevic, an influential conspiracy theorist from Facebook. Borojevic is the founder of the Artimedia High School, and he was also the director of the UMS School for Talented Children. On his Facebook account, where he gathers over 30,000 followers, Borojevic often shares unverified and false news, which receive hundreds of “shares”. Raskrikavanje has dealt with his posts on several occasions.
This post of his was also shared on the Viber group “Ivermectin Recommendations”, so the misinformation that Japan approved ivermectin against the coronavirus reached an even larger number of people, and today Sasa Radulovic’s political movement “Enough is enough” repeated this in its statement.
As evidence for the claim that ivermectin is used in Japan, proponents of ivermectin state that the Tokyo Medical Association recommended this drug.
However, although this is true, it is still not proof that the drug has been approved.
The president of this association, Haruo Ozaki, recommended the medicine for emergency covid patients at the beginning of February this year, and he emphasized that he would like the government of Japan to consider it.
However, the Japanese government has not adopted it, at least not until now. As can be seen on the website of the Government Agency for Drugs and Medical Devices of Japan, ivermectin is not on the list of drugs used in therapy.
In addition to vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca), the list of drugs officially used in Japan to fight coronavirus also includes several drugs.
These include remdesivir (an antiviral drug approved by the EU for the treatment of corona), baricitinib (an anti-inflammatory drug), sasirivimab, imdevimab and sotrovimab (which bind to the virus’ proteins and prevent it from entering the cell), but not ivermectin .
When Borojevic’s post about Japan was shared on the Viber group, a member pointed out to the others that it was not true and that this false news had already been exposed by the fact-checkers from around the world.
However, the proponents of ivermectin did not believe it but stated that it was an “official narrative of pharmaceutical mafia”.