More than 30 doctors countrywide have petitioned the Ministry of Health and Social Services and Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) to urgently grant emergency approval for the administration of Ivermectin to Coronavirus patients.
The doctors argue that the approval of the veterinary medicine will stop patients from self-medicating with the drug without any supervision or medical advice.
The drug is freely available on the market. They further argue that side effects are mild. Ivermectin is used for infections mainly in domestic animals. The drug that is available in Namibia is not approve to be administered to human beings.
"As doctors, we cannot simply stand by and watch our patients to become breathless, get oxygen-dependent, suffer or die, when there is an effective, safe and cheap drug at hand that could save lives prevent hospitalisations and help us to beat this terrible infection," said the petition.
Ivermectin, according to the petition, is allegedly administered to Coronavirus patients in India where the virus has killed thousands of people in the past months. Some countries including South Africa have started to administer the drug in certain Coronavirus cases.
Although the Ivermectin sold in Namibia is not approved for human consumption, the Namibian has established that there are doctors who have been administering the drug to patients.