Ivermectin for COVID-19 in Peru: 14-fold reduction in nationwide excess deaths, p<0.002 for effect by state, then 13-fold increase after ivermectin use restricted

Objective. We aimed to identify mortality trends associated with COVID-19 deaths in Peru during April through November 2020, when mass treatments with ivermectin (IVM), a drug of Nobel Prize-honored distinction, were autonomously deployed at different times and to different extents in Peru’s 25 states under a national policy that authorized these treatments.

Design. Ecological study of publicly available data. Excess deaths were analyzed state by state. To identify potential confounding factors, Google mobility data, population densities, SARS-CoV-2 genetic variations, seropositivity rates and other auxiliary data were also examined.

Primary outcome. Reductions in excess deaths, state by state, as compared with extent and time period of IVM treatments.

Participants. The study population was restricted to ages ≥ 60 to eliminate confounding effects of changing age distributions of COVID-19 incidence.

Results. The 25 states of Peru were grouped by extent of IVM distributions: m...