Ivermectin for the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19
17 September 2021
Dear [name and contact details withheld]
Request for information
Thank you for your email of 2 September 2021 regarding our response to your request about ivermectin under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). You wrote:
I asked why you have restricted use [of ivermectin] for the prevention and/or treatment of Covid-19 ie: my doctor is specifically not permitted to prescribe it off label for Covid-19.
As noted in my previous letter, COVID-19 is not an approved indication for the use of ivermectin, according to the Medsafe datasheet.
Medsafe is the agency responsible for monitoring and regulating the use of unapproved medicines, and the use of medicines for unapproved indications. You may find the following information useful:
- Medsafe: Risks of importing or prescribing ivermectin for prevention or treatment of COVID-19(external link) (6 September 2021)
- Medsafe: OIA response regarding COVID-19 use of ivermectin(external link) (15 February 2021)
I note that we have provided you with all the information we have available on ivermectin, within the scope of your OIA request.
We trust that this information answers your queries. Please get in touch with us if you have any further questions.
Yours sincerely
Rachel Read
Manager, Policy and Government Services