19 Oct 2021 8:04 am
Advocates of ivermectin have pointed to a study that ivermectin can stop the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in a test tube — but that is nothing new when it comes to viruses.
"Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit a broad spectrum of DNA and RNA viruses with no underlying unifying logic (HIV, influenza, Dengue, Zika, pseudorabiesvirus, polyoma virus, adenovirus)," said Dr. Benhur Lee, a Professor of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, via email. "These results were all based on in vitro test-tube/cell culture work; to a virologist, that raises eyebrows."
"In vitro" refers to studies that take place in test tubes, petri dishes, or otherwise outside of human patients. Lee used an example to explain how what happens in vitro might not necessarily translate to the human body.
"I can increase the concentration of sodium chloride (table salt) by 50% to my tissue culture cells and show inhibition of most viruses," Lee said. "But I don't go asking people to eat as much salty food as possible to combat virus infections, much less SARS-CoV-2."
Lee added that hoping ivermectin works based on "in vitro efficacy studies" is "magical thinking."
(post 1 of 2)
"Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit a broad spectrum of DNA and RNA viruses with no underlying unifying logic (HIV, influenza, Dengue, Zika, pseudorabiesvirus, polyoma virus, adenovirus)," said Dr. Benhur Lee, a Professor of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, via email. "These results were all based on in vitro test-tube/cell culture work; to a virologist, that raises eyebrows."
"In vitro" refers to studies that take place in test tubes, petri dishes, or otherwise outside of human patients. Lee used an example to explain how what happens in vitro might not necessarily translate to the human body.
"I can increase the concentration of sodium chloride (table salt) by 50% to my tissue culture cells and show inhibition of most viruses," Lee said. "But I don't go asking people to eat as much salty food as possible to combat virus infections, much less SARS-CoV-2."
Lee added that hoping ivermectin works based on "in vitro efficacy studies" is "magical thinking."
(post 1 of 2)