Health Canada has issued an advisory against using the anti-parasitic drug to treat COVID-19

Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning anti-parasitic drug that has improved the health of millions and has helped to eradicate diseases like river blindness in multiple countries.

But there's a shortage of the drug in Canada, as global demand surges due to unproven claims that the medicine can be used to treat COVID-19.

That shortage could put people who actually need it for treatment at risk, including those who are more susceptible to illness from parasites due to COVID-19.

"The use of this medication for COVID is really putting people who are already in a difficult situation in an even worse situation," said Barry Power of the Canadian Pharmacists Association. "I would really urge people to think twice before trying to access this medication that has been proven to do nothing in the case of COVID."

"There is no evidence that ivermectin in either [the human or veterinary] formulation is safe or effective when used for those purposes," the federal agency warned.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ivermectin-shortage-1.6158777