Source: Perfil.com Author: Pablo Giles
Dr. Héctor Carvallo is one of the Argentine scientists in charge of the trials of the drug that is already used in some provinces but has not yet been approved by the ANMAT.
Before the declaration of the first case of coronavirus in our country, a group of Argentine doctors and researchers had assumed the personal and professional challenge of anticipating the virus, putting into practice a drug used more than 30 years ago in veterinary and medical science, not only in Argentina but also in the world.
These professionals, who were in the first line of defense against the virus, developed in February 2020 two protocols with Ivermectin based on “in vitro” studies carried out in Australia.
Ivermectin: “With the support of the National Government we would already have the results”
The results at the time of applying Ivermectin to combat the virus “were categorical”, according to Dr. Héctor Carvallo, ex-academic coordinator of the Hospital Zonal General de Agudos Dr. Alberto Antranik Eurnekian -, who together with Dr. Roberto Hirsch, -head of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Francisco Javier Muñiz Hospital, carried out research for both the prevention and the compassionate treatment of SARS-Cov-2 patients, stated that
Protocols
The IDEA Protocol as a therapeutic treatment, -which uses Ivermectin in combination with other drugs such as Aspirin, Dexamethasone and Enoxaparin, depending on the severity of the patient, in moderate and severe cases of COVID-19 and in comparison with other groups that received different treatments demonstrated that the drug decreased mortality from “23 to less than 3 in every hundred patients.” On the other hand, in the mild cases, the number of people who required hospitalization fell from “10% to zero”.
Regarding the IVER.CAR Protocol as a prevention method, -which uses Ivermectin and Carrageenan- , the effectiveness reached 100%, taking as a parameter 1,195 Health Agents from different hospitals who participated as volunteers. In this context and more than a month after the last interview, Dr. Carvallo was consulted again.
What news emerged regarding Ivermectin?
– It has been approved for use in the pandemic in the provinces of Corrientes, Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Misiones, and the last province to be added was La Pampa. Likewise, many doctors and a large part of the population are using the drug “off label” (off-label), in almost the entire country. For our part, we have carried out and published a multicenter study, which summarizes the unquestionably positive experiences obtained in the provinces of Jujuy (whose reference is Dr. Wilmer Bracho), Salta (Dr. Antonio Salgado), Santa Fe (Dr. Luis Alonso ), and Buenos Aires (Dr. Aroldo Del Franco). Together with these distinguished colleagues, a gigantic number of lives have been saved.
Why didn’t other provinces and even CABA participate in the study?
– Corrientes made its own international publication through Dr. Julio Vallejos, which prevented him from participating in another study simultaneously. The same happened in Tucumán with Dra. Rossana Chahla. But in both provinces the results were equally favorable. The provincial government of Misiones made a massive purchase of Ivermectina after the excellent initial results, and La Pampa was incorporated very recently for which there is no concrete data. Regarding CABA, a retrospective study of 164 Health Agents protected with Ivermectin was carried out at the Muñiz Hospital, and not a single contagion was detected in 10 months, therefore the efficacy of the protocol was 100%. On the other hand, in the province of Buenos Aires, multicenter trials were carried out (in the western and southern areas of Greater Buenos Aires), all equally successful.
Specifically. What are these multicenter studies that you mention, and do you mean when you say that they all yielded positive or favorable results?
– The results are measured in number of infections for prophylaxis, and number of deaths in patients. There is a before and after regarding the use of Ivermectin. Not only are there no infections, but countless hospitalizations and, most importantly, deaths are avoided. The same results are being achieved in Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, despite the fact that those provinces (like Buenos Aires) did not authorize the massive use of Ivermectin.
He previously stated that his team was the first in Argentina to carry out tests and develop protocols for COVID-19 using Ivermectin, and to present the research to local and international health organizations. What responses did you get from all of them and especially from ANMAT?
– These are the news that do not arrive, despite the actions of protection and criminal complaints that we promote for criminal negligence. ANMAT continues to approve drugs and treatments that are not applied in first world countries characterized by high epidemiological surveillance, which do not have even one twentieth of the scientific evidence that has been demonstrated with Ivermectin, but they still do not approve it. We had the hope that with the pandemic the ANMAT would show a bit of height in its mission, and that at least once in 100 years it would act according to the circumstances, but we were too optimistic.
Since the protocols with Ivermectin began to be used, have other collaborators joined?
-In Argentina we work with the aforementioned researchers. Abroad, with the Front Line Covid Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) of the USA, Medincell of France, Marinomed Biotech AG of Austria, and the BIRD Panel of the United Kingdom. It should be clarified that in all cases there is no pecuniary motivation, but rather investigative purposes to achieve the recognition and implementation of Ivermectin as a preventive and therapeutic treatment for COVID-19.
Did you become aware of Trade Union Organizations that bring together PAMI GPs, who began to use the IVER.CAR Protocol applying Ivermectin and Carrageenan to their members?
-I understand that the APPAMIA union is carrying out a prophylaxis trial for its members (not for patients), because they requested our protocols. They are not secret, and for this reason we send them to your authorities around November 2.020.
Some journalists criticized that the conferences they held were sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.
-Our webinars were set up by Panalab and Cassará laboratories, which are the two companies that donated thousands of free samples so that we can carry out the tests, and although I think I have clarified it in a timely manner, I reiterate that all the webinars were given free of charge. As always in medicine, congresses, symposia, workshops, etc., are sponsored by laboratories, since it would be impossible for professionals to face such costs. Those who say they do not know this are ignorant or lie. The important thing in this whole question is that there are no biases in the information provided and that the laboratories do not impose the agendas or the contents. In conclusion, should never happen what is happening with many others who are dedicated to systematically revile Ivermectin and slander the doctors and researchers who honestly and altruistically promote the drug. These characters belong to government agencies and related media “sponsored by major laboratories” that do not produce Ivermectin, but instead “other much more expensive drugs” that also do not provide guarantees regarding the effects they could cause in the short, medium and long term.
Did you change your position on vaccines against SARS-Cov-2, and in particular on Sputnik V applied in Argentina?
– I cannot express too much opinion about something that has been used so sparingly, whose scientific information is incomplete, and it seems “changes day by day”.
You seem pessimistic about the efficacy of vaccines …
– On the contrary, I wish you all the best of success, but the results will only be seen hopefully in 2022. “Here and now”, -as the National Director of ANMAT Dr. Manuel Rodolfo Limeres said-, “lo the only thing that works is Ivermectin ”. Too bad that after this statement he forgot his words or repented, -although they were recorded-.
What are your expectations regarding Ivermectin?
– I hope that the approval of Ivermectin arrives before the start of the second wave of the pandemic, since it is expected to hit our country in the month of April (2,021). With so little vaccinated population, -among which are a third of the health personnel, and the national, provincial and municipal government politicians-, 90% of the citizenship will continue defenseless.
Finally. Why is Ivermectin not approved?
– Because it does not leave revenue to anyone, it does not generate returns, you cannot make partisan discretion with it, and no one can win an election by applying it, or buy a yacht with its dividends.
Ivermectin for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 Infection: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis