The Oxford University said on Wednesday that it was testing anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a possible treatment for Covid-19, as a British government-backed study aims to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings. Ivermectin resulted in a decrease of virus replication in laboratory studies, the university said, adding that giving the drug early can reduce viral load and the duration of symptoms in some patients with mild Covid-19.

The British study in January showed that antibiotics azithromycin and doxycycline were generally ineffective against early-stage Covid-19. While the World Health Organization (WHO) and European and US regulators have recommended against using ivermectin in Covid-19 patients, it is being used to treat the illness in some countries, including India.

“By including ivermectin in a large-scale trial like Principle, we hope to generate evidence to know how effective it is against Covid-19, and whether there are benefits or harms associated with its use,” Co-lead investigator of the trial Chris Butler said.

People with severe liver conditions or taking blood-thinning medication warfarin, or taking other treatments known to interact with ivermectin, will be excluded from the trial, the university said. Ivermectin is the seventh treatment to be investigated in the trial, and is currently being evaluated alongside antiviral drug favipiravir, the university said.