NATURAL selection is the process by which living organisms adapt and change. Scientists will corroborate that this is how we have been able to survive as a species. Said differently, humans instinctively adapt and endorse things that are objectively best for survival. It is a method of evolution. In this case, based on results, the best appears to be Ivermectin (C48H72O14).

Being a fellow Jamaican, I know very well that we do not subscribe to anything we don’t know or understand, so please allow me to briefly introduce a potential solution to the pandemic.

Ivermectin was first discovered in Japan in the late 1970s following experiments with a series of drugs and pesticides called avermectins. It was developed as a veterinary drug as it kills a wide range of internal and external parasites in commercial livestock and companion animals.

Soon thereafter, scientists discovered that it could be used to treat humans with parasitic infections — most notably, Onchocerciasis (river blindness) in 1988. Ivermectin was labelled the “wonder drug” across the world for two main reasons — firstly, because of the wide array of infections it could treat, whether it be in animals, humans or plants and secondly, because of how safe and simple it was to administer — a single, annual oral dose.

Currently, Ivermectin tablets are approved by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) to treat people with intestinal strongyloidiasis and Onchocerciasis, conditions both caused by parasitic worms.

Goa (a state on the south-western coast of India) recently approved it to be used as a preventive treatment for all adults against COVID-19. However, Zimbabwe was the first to demonstrate its potency in treating patients who had contracted the virus.

According to Dr Jackie Stone of Zimbabwe’s Optimum Health Centre, she began prescribing and administering the medicine in Zimbabwe on August 8, 2020, and “from the 8th of August to the 24th of December” she didn’t lose a patient. The official authorisation for the use of Ivermectin in Zimbabwe was granted on January 26 of this year. However, thanks to the bold initiative of Dr Stone, her overcrowded hospital of COVID-19 patients were spared.

Zimbabwe has a population of almost 15 million — approximately five times more than Jamaica. Their health system is in disarray due to HIV/AIDS and cholera, among other issues. Yet, Zimbabwe’s willingness to adapt, change and endorse the objectively best solution has brought them from averaging 70 COVID-19 related deaths per day to zero.

Provided Ivermectin is as effective as suggested, the Jamaica Government’s dependence on COVID-19 vaccines while ignoring Ivermectin is, at a minimum, negligence. We understand that COVID-19 vaccines are being developed and are improving. We also understand that some citizens have already taken shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 has an efficacy rate of 63.09 per cent against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. If zero per cent COVID-19-related deaths is the end goal then it only makes sense that we consider using a drug that has already achieved exactly that.

Furthermore, I recommend Ivermectin not as a substitute for existing vaccines, as they have different functions. Vaccines are developed to prevent us from contracting the virus, while Ivermectin’s primary application would be for treating patients who have already tested positive for COVID-19. I am simply recommending incorporating it as part of our COVID-19 treatment protocol. Why not make it accessible to persons who want to choose this as a part of their management protocol?

In April of last year the USFDA issued a warning against the use of veterinary preparations in human patients with COVID-19. As stated, Ivermectin is more commonly used in veterinary treatment than human medicine. This classification has contributed significantly to Ivermectin being sidelined. However, the fact that it can treat both humans and animals is only a testament to the versatility of the drug. Not only is Ivermectin already being used to treat COVID-19 patients to great effect, it is also being used to treat parasitic infections such as strongyloidiasis in patients with HIV. So, to dismiss Ivermectin on the grounds that it is primarily a veterinary drug is objectively baseless.

Additionally, unearthing new and effective uses for drugs is certainly not unprecedented. One example of this is Viagra, a drug that was initially synthesised to treat certain cardiovascular conditions. Now Viagra is more commonly recognised and sought out for its capacity to treat erectile dysfunction.

Also, I acknowledge cost to be a strong determining factor as we simply can’t consider Ivermectin’s application if the nation cannot afford it. According to Pharmacy Checker.com (2021), Ivermectin’s average US retail price is around $45 for eight generic tablets. These figures are not fixed and we are yet to determine how much it would cost Jamaica if we were to fully incorporate it in our COVID-19 treatment protocol.

Another possible reason Ivermectin is not being sought out by Jamaica could be our affiliation with the WHO (World Health Organization). According to the WHO, the current evidence on the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. Therefore, it has advised that Ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials until more data is available. This sentiment is also echoed by the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

According to the Coronavirus Resource Center, the FDA is against antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 to determine immunity or protection from COVID-19, especially among those who are vaccinated. Would this not also render vaccines inconclusive? If inconclusiveness is the rationale for not approving Ivermectin and vaccines are inconclusive, then the position against Ivermectin isn’t the full story.

Despite not getting the nod of approval from the WHO, the US and other nations have included Ivermectin in clinical trials. If push comes to shove and we can only include Ivermectin in clinical trials, then perhaps we could explore that option as well. I mention this not to feed into any lingering suspicions or conspiracies, but to highlight some of the reasons our nation might be hesitant to embrace the drug.

According to Dr Stone, since January 26, 2021 not a single COVID-19-positive Zimbabwean patient who has taken Ivermectin has died. Even if WHO rules that Ivermectin’s efficacy is inconclusive it would be a great disservice to ourselves if we were to ignore Dr Stone’s results.

I need not expound on the socio-economic challenges brought on by the pandemic as we are all aware of how badly wounded it has left our entertainment industry, in particular.

Our nation has suffered enough! Let not the suffering be prolonged or sustained due to inactivity, ulterior motives, fear or negligence on the part of those whom we have elected to steer us in the direction of prosperity.

In chorus, we can all agree that we must return to normalcy as soon as possible. In doing so, we must explore all options — and from where I sit the best option is Ivermectin. This is yet another opportunity to adapt and change. History dictates that only those who can adapt have a future. And those who don’t…become history.

Hugh Graham is Member of Parliament for St Catherine North Western, and CEO of Paramount Trading Company Jamaica Ltd.