Twitter user Dr Khairul Hafidz in a series of tweets expressed disappointment that many Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders were pushing for the off-label use of the anti-parasitic drug for Covid-19.
“We, in the medical industry, have been giving explanations about the issue on social media, but all our efforts will go to waste with the support of PH leaders (for the drug) in Parliament. Wait for our local data!” he said.
Earlier today, the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 patients became a heated topic in the Dewan Rakyat with several opposition MPs pushing for it to be used immediately. Health minister Dr Adham Baba, however, stood firm on waiting for data first.
The MPs, who were from PKR and Amanah, claimed that India and the Philippines had successfully used Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 without any reported side effects. However, they failed to mention that the health authorities in both countries have never announced this publicly.
The MPs calling for the use of the drug were Amanah president Mohamad Sabu (Kota Raja), Khalid Samad (Shah Alam), Sivarasa Rasiah (Sungei Buloh), Johari Abdul (Sungei Petani), Sim Tze Tzin (Bayan Baru), William Leong (Selayang) and P Prabakaran (Batu).
Meanwhile, Azrul Khalib, chief executive officer of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy tweeted that it was “disturbing” to see many opposition MPs believing Ivermectin to be a “miracle drug that will cure #COVID19”.
He urged Adham and the health ministry to stand firm on existing Covid-19 treatment policies and guidelines.
Meanwhile, former consultant pharmacist @BeeLengMY1 urged former health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, who is also Pakatan Harapan’s Covid-19 Task Force chairman, to stop such discussions by opposition MPs who are not medical professionals.
“Align the Talk Strategy, no more contract doctor discussion. Focus on Covid-19 control!”
In a statement, Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan said that even if Ivermectin was safe in treating Covid-19, there was no consensus on the aspects of its usage, including the appropriate dosage and duration.
He said these were important questions that should be addressed by health experts instead of politicians.
Shahril went on to say that no matter who is in government, decisions could not be made on theories and assumptions that were populist in nature.
“Instead it has to be based on procedure, science and data. We’re not talking about SOPs, movement restrictions and economic packages. This is about medicine meant for the people.”
Recently, the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) said none of them are currently using Ivermectin.
APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said private hospitals have been treating Covid-19 patients since January by following the health ministry and international medical societies’ evidence-based guidelines.
In June, the health ministry said hospitals are allowed to apply to the Drug Control Authority for the off-label use of the drug, including treating Covid-19 patients, but in a controlled environment.
The ministry and its Institute for Clinical Research had also began clinical trials to study the effects and effectiveness of the drug to treat high-risk Covid-19 patients in 12 government hospitals since early June.