KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) has lodged a police report against the Health Ministry for refusing to use Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, to prevent the spread of the Covid-19.
In a statement today, PPIM said the report was made at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 11am.
Its lead activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said this was among the initiatives by the non-governmental organisation in fighting for consumer rights on the use of alternative methods and treatment in preventing Covid-19.
"The Health Ministry's refusal to consider the effectiveness of Ivermectin is a criminal offence as that had caused more than 2,300 Covid-19 patients to die in Malaysia.
"Numerous clinical trials have proven that Ivermectin is able to reduce the risk of infection at 88 per cent and reduce the fatality rate at 83 per cent, many prophylaxes have also confirmed it can reduce Covid-19 transmissions.
"Covid-19 deaths are increasing every day, we should be open and accept the views of others as long as it is proven effective to prevent the spread of Covid-19," he said.
PPIM also urged the government and the Ministry to accept Ivermectin as a treatment as it has been proven effective in several countries that have now managed to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases and against new variants.
On June 5, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said his ministry and the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR) had started clinical trials to study the use and efficacy of Ivermectin for high-risk Covid-19 patients at 12 of the ministry's hospitals.
Dr Noor Hisham said the trials were approved by the ministry's Medical Research and Ethics Committee on May 25.
He said Ivermectin is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anti-parasitic drug widely used for treating several neglected tropical diseases, including onchocerciasis, strongyloidiasis and helminthiases.
However, the evidence was inconclusive to recommend routine use of Ivermectin for Covid-19 patients.
He said there is an ongoing need for adequately powered, well-designed, and well-conducted clinical trials for evidence-based guidance on the role of Ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19.