Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial on Using Ivermectin with Doxycycline for Treating COVID-19 Patients in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

COVID-19 patients suffer from the lack of curative therapy. Hence, there is an urgent need to try repurposed old drugs on COVID-19. Randomized controlled study on 70 COVID-19 patients (48 mild-moderate, 11 severe, and 11 critical patients) treated with 200 µg/kg PO of Ivermectin per day for 2-3 days along with 100 mg PO doxycycline twice per day for 5-10 days plus standard therapy; the second arm is 70 COVID-19 patients (48 mild-moderate and 22 severe and zero critical patients) on standard therapy, which is (vitamin C, D, and zinc, azithromycin, dexamethasone and oxygen supply if needed). The time to recovery, the progression of the disease, and the mortality rate were the outcome-assessing parameters. Among all patients and among severe patients, 3/70 (4.28%) and 1/11 (9%), respectively progressed to a more advanced stage of the disease in the Ivermectin-Doxycycline group versus 7/70 (10%) and 7/22 (31.81%), respectively in the control group (P>0.05). The mortality rate was 0/48 (0%), 0/11 (0%), and 2/11 (18.2%) in mild-moderate, severe, and critical COVID-19 patients, respectively in Ivermectin-Doxycycline group versus 0/48 (0%), and 6/22 (27.27%) in mild-moderate and severe COVID-19 patients, respectively in standard therapy group (p=0.052). Moreover, the mean time to recovery was 6.34, 20.27, and 24.13 days in mild-moderate, severe, and critical COVID-19 patients, respectively in Ivermectin-Doxycycline group versus 13.66 and 24.25 days in mild-moderate and severe COVID-19 patients, respectively in standard therapy group (P<0.01). It is concluded that Ivermectin with doxycycline reduced the time to recovery, the percentage of patients progress to more advanced stage of disease, and reduced mortality rate in severe patients from 22.72% to 0%. Keywords: Ivermectin, Doxycycline, COVID-19, Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 Citation: Hashim HA, Maulood MF, Ali CL, Rasheed AM, Fatak DF, Kabah KK, Abdulamir AS. Controlled randomized clinical trial on using ivermectin with doxycycline for treating COVID-19 patients in Baghdad, Iraq Iraqi JMS. 2021; 19(1): 107-115. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.19.1.14