[Bill]

Ivermectin Study:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7996102/

Conclusion

Developing an effective therapeutic against COVID-19 is currently the utmost interest to the scientific communities. The present study depicts comparative binding efficacy of a promising FDA-approved drug, ivermectin, against major pathogenic proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and their human counterparts involved in host–pathogen interaction. Herein, our in silico data have indicated that ivermectin efficiently utilizes viral spike protein, main protease, replicase and human TMPRSS2 receptors as the most possible targets for executing its antiviral efficiency. Therefore, ivermectin exploits protein targets from both virus and human, which could be the reason behind its excellent in vitro efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 as reported by Caly et al. [13]. Ivermectin B1b isomers have been found to be the more efficacious molecule out of the two homologs. Intriguingly, comparison of the in silico efficiency of ivermectin with currently used anticorona drugs, such as hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir, indicated toward the potential of ivermectin to target the major pathogenic proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Ivermectin is a popular antiparasitic drug and is also safe in children, younger adults, pregnant and lactating ladies. Development of pulmonary delivery of ivermectin through synthesis of better ivermectin formulation has been reported recently and this is expected to shorten the treatment duration and lead to better outcomes [33]. It is noteworthy to mention that many anti-SARS-CoV-2s are now being tested for their efficacy in shaping the immune response of humans, through targeting the cell surface as well as intracellular toll-like receptors [34,35]. In this context, ivermectin could be an effective option as well. Considering all these facts, the present study explores the therapeutic targets of ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2 and enlightens the possibility of using this drug in COVID-19 clinical trials shortly.
Summary points

The present in silico study presents the therapeutic efficacy of ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to two recently used anti SARS-CoV-2 drugs, namely remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine.

Molecular docking was performed using the drugs of interest and various proteins involved in the infection cycle of SARS-CoV-2 such as spike glycoprotein, main protease, replicase, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, human ACE2 receptor and human transmembrane serine protease. The dynamics of the interaction was further analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation studies and the binding free energy of binding of ivermectin to each protein was determined.

The pharmacokinetic attributes of ivermectin were compared with other two anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs and ivermectin was found to be a safe drug.

Ivermectin was found to be an efficient inhibitor of Mpro, replicase and hTMPRSS2 and the study manifests a superior ground for the candidature of ivermectin to be an efficient anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic option.