Tokyo Medical Association chairman Haruo Ozaki reiterated this month that ivermectin should be widely used and said that his early recommendations have not been heeded in Japan.

Kennedy Hall Mon Aug 30, 2021 – 3:53 pm EDT

TOKYO (LifeSiteNews) – In February, the chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, Haruo Ozaki, called on Japanese doctors to implement ivermectin as an effective medication to combat COVID-19. About the usage of the anti-parasitic for COVID, given the international hesitancy to use it as a COVID medication, he said, “…We cannot say that ivermectin is absolutely not effective, at least not me.” 

In an interview with the The Yomiuri Shimbun on August 5, Ozaki spoke in detail about his opinion that ivermectin should be used in Japan and said that his early calls for usage have seemingly not been heeded.  

He stated that there is evidence from multiple countries that ivermectin has proven effective for patients diagnosed with COVID: “I am aware that there are many papers that ivermectin is effective in the prevention and treatment of [coronavirus], mainly in Central and South America and Asia.” 

He also cited a paper examining the preventative effects of ivermectin regarding coronavirus infections in India. According to a study by a group of researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, “Participants who took ivermectin prophylaxis had a lower risk of getting symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection.” 

The Indian study included 3532 health-care workers. According to the study, those “who had taken two-doses of oral ivermectin have a significantly lower risk of contracting COVID-19 disease during the following month.” 

In the abstract, the study states as a summary of the evidence: “Two-doses of oral ivermectin (300 μg/kg given 72 hours apart) as chemoprophylaxis among HCWs reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection by 83% in the following month.” 

Chairman Ozaki stated that despite evidence suggesting the efficacy of ivermectin, it is difficult to obtain the medication. He added that while ivermectin’s established effectiveness is increasingly clear, the U.S. company that manufactures the drug, Merck & Co., Inc., have currently limited distribution because they claim that the drug is ineffective at treating COVID.  

“With the view that it is not effective for the treatment and prevention of sickness, there is an intention that it should not be used for anything other than skin diseases such as psoriasis.”  

This has led to a situation where, according to Ozaki, “Even if a doctor writes a prescription for ivermectin, there is no drug in the pharmacy.” He said that this has rendered the drug practically “unusable.” 

He contends that the fact that supply has been stopped by Merck & Co. is evidence that it does in fact work at treating COVID: “But (Merck) says that ivermectin doesn’t work, so there shouldn’t be any need to limit supply. If it doesn’t work, there’s no demand. I believe it works, so block supply. It looks like you are.” 

Ozaki also mentioned the FLCCC Alliance, a group founded by Dr. Pierre Kory, M.D., M.P.A., that advocates for ivermectin use for COVID treatment.

“A group of American clinicians (FLCCC) has announced that ivermectin is effective against [coronavirus] in South America, Asia, etc., and a group of doctors, such as the British Ivermectin Recommendation Group (BIRD), has compiled many papers. I was convinced that it was ‘effective’ from the meta-analysis analyzed in the above, and recommended ivermectin to medical sites around the world.” 

He said that he “also told the Japan Olympic Committee that ivermectin should be used effectively when holding the Tokyo Olympics. But the government didn’t do anything.”

He addressed the reluctance on behalf of the medical establishment in using ivermectin to treat COVID. He said “there are problems for researchers in academia and professors in universities. Many do not do anything by themselves, but they are of the opinion of international organizations such as the WHO and large health organizations in the United States and Europe that ‘it is not yet certain whether ivermectin will work for the [coronavirus].’” 

“We don’t do it on our own initiative, but only on the opinions of others. Why don’t we try to see for ourselves why ivermectin works? It is deplorable that there are critics, researchers, and scholars who are constantly criticizing without doing anything. I hope that Japanese academics will contribute more actively.” 

Evidence that ivermectin is effective in treating COVID has been well attested in developing nations where vaccines are not widely distributed. Another study in France also suggested that ivermectin ought to be used as a remedy for COVID. (Click to Source)