Ivermectin treats human infections, too ... just not COVID-19

+ the origins of the vampire myth US Edition - Today's top story: Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug – but not for COVID-19 [View in browser]( US Edition | 14 October 2021 [The Conversation]( Since it was first discovered in the soil of a Japanese golf course in 1981, ivermectin has been gilded with the Nobel Prize, inducted into the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines and virtually eliminated river blindness in 11 countries. But that might not be why you’ve heard of it. Early in the pandemic, a number of significantly flawed studies on ivermectin’s possible antiviral effects led to interest in repurposing the drug to treat COVID-19 as it had been repurposed for other diseases from its original use as a treatment for horses and cows afflicted by parasitic worms. Lobbyists have petitioned their elected officials to force pharmacists to fill ivermectin prescriptions, and people have been ingesting veterinary products containing ivermectin. Unfortunately, taking ivermectin for COVID-19 is more likely to do severe harm than good. Jeffrey Aeschlimann, an infectious disease pharmacist at the University of Connecticut, takes us through a [short history of ivermectin](, from its promising beginnings to its painful present moment. Also today: - [The dangers of climate colonialism]( - [Exploring the quality of diversity]( - [E-cigarettes get regulatory approval]( Vivian Lam Assistant Health and Biomedicine Editor While ivermectin was originally used to treat river blindness, it has also been repurposed to treat other human parasitic infections. ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images [Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug – but not for COVID-19]( Jeffrey R. Aeschlimann, University of Connecticut Ivermectin has been a lifesaving drug for people with parasitic infections like river blindness and strongyloidiasis. But taking it for COVID-19 may result in the opposite effect. 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Lee, University of Washington In their quest to feel high and relax, college students who use marijuana may be setting themselves back, research consistently shows. - [My Ph.D. supervisor just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for designing a safer, cheaper and faster way to build molecules and make medicine]( David Nagib, The Ohio State University Dave MacMillon and Ben List both developed simple catalysts that make precise chemical reactions much faster and more efficient. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s graphic [A chart showing the percentage of U.S. college students that have used marijuana in the past year from 1980 to 2020.]( From the story, [How does smoking marijuana affect academic performance? Two researchers explain how it can alter more than just moods]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](