The truth about ivermectin’s supposed health benefits

Interest in the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin skyrocketed during the covid-19 pandemic, but evidence for many of its supposed health claims are lacking

By Grace Wade

8 July 2025

An antiparasitic drug became widely known during the covid-19 pandemic, though its uses have nothing to do with the virus

HJBC/Shutterstock Source: Shutterstock

Before 2020, most people had probably never heard of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin. But interest in this once obscure medication skyrocketed during the covid-19 pandemic amid unfounded claims it could prevent or treat the viral infection. The popular podcast host Joe Rogan claimed to have taken it when he was sick with covid in 2021. That same year, Robert F Kennedy Jr – now the highest-ranking public health official in the US – petitioned the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue guidance supporting its use for covid-19.

Numerous studies have disproven ivermectin as a cure for covid-19, but the hype around it persists. While it gained a reputation as a quack remedy during the pandemic, ivermectin remains a legitimate drug – one that researchers still believe holds untapped potential.

What is ivermectin?

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic compound developed by the US pharmaceutical company Merck in 1975. It is capable of killing a wide range of parasites and is approved by the FDA for treating two conditions caused by parasitic worms in humans: onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, and intestinal strongyloidiasis. Ivermectin is also available in some countries for treating the parasitic condition lymphatic filariasis, as well as scabies.

While these parasitic infections are uncommon in high-income countries, they pose a significant threat to millions of people in lower-income countries around the world. As such, more than 300 million people take ivermectin each year, and it is widely considered one of the most impactful global health interventions to date. In 2015, its discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize.

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The FDA has also approved some topical forms of ivermectin for head lice and the skin condition rosacea. The drug is commonly used in animals as well to prevent and treat parasitic infections, such as heartworms and roundworms. Because these veterinary products differ from those used in humans, the FDA says people shouldn’t take them.