Fleet Surgeon A number of people have asked me, in general, about ivermectin (IVM) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Having never treated river blindness, elephantiasis, or malaria, it piqued my interest as well due to recalling only the basics dredged from medical school memories. It is neither my intent nor place to weigh in upon the spirited discussion about these drugs (or encourage a visit to Tractor Supply for horse paste) but to share what I learned. Malaria killed between 150 and 300 million people in the 20 th century. Identification of the causative bacteria and mosquito vector garnered Nobel prizes in 1902 and 1907. Chloroquine was identified from tree bark; HCQ is its better tolerated brother. IVM was isolated from samples on a Japanese golf course and developed by Merck. In 1987, the chairman of Merck initiated a program to provide it free of charge to areas of endemic river blindness and elephantiasis and, to date, has distributed 3.4 billion treatments. The World Health Organization lists both among the 20, “essential,” medicines and felt safe enough to distribute to entire populations. Both have well-documented safety profiles – even during pregnancy. Thus endeth the short version and those wishing a bit more discourse can click on the following link. A Brief History of Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine David Randall
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