ivermectin

noun

iver·​mec·​tin ˌī-vər-ˈmek-tən 

: a drug mixture of two structurally similar semisynthetic lactones that is used in veterinary medicine as an anthelmintic, acaricide, and insecticide and in human medicine to treat onchocerciasis

Examples of ivermectin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The chief medical adviser for Warrior Essentials, Dr. George Fareed, is a senior fellow at the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, a group that promotes disproven treatments for Covid like the antiparasitic drug ivermectin. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024

Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine During the pandemic, fringe groups touted two antiparasitic drugs as treatments for Covid: ivermectin, typically used for worm infections, and hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria and certain autoimmune conditions. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024

Kennedy has long made false statements about the safety of vaccines and has touted disproven treatments for Covid-19, including ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024

But her administration also distributed nearly 200,000 medical kits containing ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasites in horses and other animals, to people who had tested positive for the coronavirus. —Eduardo García, San Antonio Express-News, 29 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from di- + New Latin avermitilis (specific epithet of Streptomyces avermitilis, bacterium from which it is derived) + English -ect- (of unknown origin) + -in entry 1

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ivermectin

noun

iver·​mec·​tin ˌī-vər-ˈmek-tən 

: a drug mixture of two structurally similar semisynthetic macrocyclic lactones that is a derivative of avermectin used in veterinary medicine as an anthelmintic, acaricide, and insecticide and in human medicine to treat onchocerciasis