Ivermectin is Effective against the Influenza and a Cold Virus In Vitro

Everyone must have heard of Ivermectin by now as an effective treatment for COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. Viruses have only one goal, and that is to replicate and spread. To do that, the SARS-CoV-2 has to enter the middle of the cell called the nucleus. The nucleus contains the genetic machinery that the COVID virus uses to replicate.

As the virus replicates and spreads through the body to continue its replication, the immune system tries to remove it. In the process, inflammation happens, which manifests as symptoms of the disease. Thus, if viral entry to the nucleus is stopped, there will be no infection.

Ivermectin works by inhibiting the transport of the SARS-CoV-2 inside the nucleus. It does so by inhibiting the importin alpha and importin beta proteins (Imp-α/β1) that bring the SARS-CoV-2 inside the nucleus.

The image below shows the Import alpha and beta proteins transporting their cargo from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. That cargo can be the SARS-CoV-2.

Source: By Jcmsep93 at English Wikipedia

Adenovirus, one cause of the common cold and the influenza virus, also uses the Imp-α/β1 proteins to get inside the nucleus.

Adenovirus

Adenovirus can affect all age groups and cause an upper respiratory infection, fever, sore throat, conjunctivitis or sore eyes, bronchitis, and diarrhea. Most people recover from it without antivirals. There isn’t one anyway that’s FDA approved.

However, the immune-compromised, like those getting chemotherapy, can have a severe illness and even die.

A study published in the Journal of Virology [1] found that Ivermectin can stop the transport of human adenoviruses into the nucleus. Below is part of their abstract. Emphasis added.

Our results demonstrate that ivermectin, an FDA-approved antiparasitic agent, is effective at inhibiting replication of several HAdV (Human adenovvirus) types in vitro

This is in agreement with the growing body of literature suggesting ivermectin has broad antiviral activity.

This study expands our mechanistic knowledge of ivermectin by showing that ivermectin targets the ability of importin-α (Imp-α) to recognize nuclear localization sequences, without effecting the Imp-α/β1 interaction.

Influenza

According to the CDC’s page on the disease burden of Influenza,

The CDC estimates that flu has resulted in 9 million – 41 million illnesses, 140,000 – 710,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 – 52,000 deaths annually between 2010 and 2020.

The flu infects the nose, throat, and lungs. It presents as fever, muscle soreness, malaise, and shortness of breath. It spreads quickly during the winter months. If you have it, you have to stay at home. The very young and very old are vulnerable to the complications of pneumonia and meningitis, which can be deadly.

Scientific Reports is a peer-reviewed journal that published a study that showed that Ivermectin could also stop influenza A’s transport into the nucleus. [2] Here is a quote from the study results.

Treatment with ivermectin completely abrogated nuclear import of all different (influenza) vRNPs (viral ribonucleoprotein) resulting in no detectable reporter activity.

Influenza viruses are made of ribonucleoprotein. A reporter is a gene that scientists put on an organism to measure an experiment’s outcome. For the investigation above, the reporter should signal if influenza viruses were able to enter the nucleus. When they added Ivermectin, there was no reporter activity, meaning; viral entry did not happen.

Is Ivermectin FDA approved for adenovirus and Influenza?

Ivermectin is FDA approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice, and skin conditions like rosacea.

However, it is not approved for adenovirus and Influenza.

Why?

Because Ivermectin is off-patent, any drug company can make it. It won’t make financial sense for a drug company to sponsor a clinical trial that costs millions to test for Ivermectin’s use against adenovirus and Influenza since they won’t make money out of it. It’s all about the money, folks!

If Ivermectin is used, think about all the money the drug companies will lose if people don’t buy over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for the common cold.

According to the Consumer Health Care Products Association, the market for OTCs for 2020 is $36 billion.

On average, U.S. households spend about $338 per year on OTC products.

Can I ask my doctor for Ivermectin if I have a common cold?

You can, but I won’t hold my breath on it. Ivermectin has had a lot of undeserved negative publicity recently. Your doctor may not be aware of the studies I mentioned. But, the practice of off-label use is expected, and the FDA is aware of it.

The lucky ones who have access and are taking Ivermectin prophylactically for COVID-19 may realize that they did not catch a cold and the flu at the end of the flu season.

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Don’t Get Sick!

Related:

References:

King CR, Tessier TM, Dodge MJ, Weinberg JB, Mymryk JS. Inhibition of Human Adenovirus Replication by the Importin α/β1 Nuclear Import Inhibitor Ivermectin. J Virol. 2020 Aug 31;94(18):e00710-20. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00710-20. PMID: 32641484; PMCID: PMC7459547
Götz, V. et al. Influenza A viruses escape from MxA restriction at the expense of efficient nuclear vRNP import. Sci. Rep. 6, 23138; doi: 10.1038/srep23138 (2016).

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