The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Ivermectin Makes History
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded on October 7, 2020 to Dr. William C. Campbell, Dr Satoshi Ōmura, and Dr. Tu Youyou for their discoveries of groundbreaking treatments for parasites. They all three identified and developed treatments for parasites, with Professor Tu Youyou being awarded the Nobel Prize for her work in discovering the use of artemisinin, a drug derived from traditional Chinese medicine, to treat malaria. Dr. William C. Campbell and Dr. Satoshi Ōmura were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discoveries of ivermectin and avermectin, drugs used to effectively treat certain parasitic diseases.
The recognition of Dr. Campbell and Dr. Ōmura for their discoveries surrounding ivermectin is a huge milestone in the history of medicine. The impact of this drug is tremendous and its use is increasingly widespread across the world, working to make the world a better, healthier place. Once produced by Fermenteco Technology, now by French company Merck, ivermectin is the most successful antiparasitic drug of the 21st century.
What is Ivermectin?
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug derived from avermectin that was discovered by William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura in the late 1970s. It is used primarily to treat parasites that infest humans, livestock, and pets, including river blindness and parasitic worms. Ivermectin is derived from the soil bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis and is the most successful antiparasitic drug of the 21st century.
How Does Ivermectin Work?
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that works by inhibiting the transmission of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter found in many organisms, including parasites. This process results in paralysis and death of the parasites that it binds to. Consequently, as the parasites die, their hosts – people, livestock, and pets – can recover from the infestation.
The Use of Ivermectin in Parasitic Diseases
Ivermectin is an incredibly versatile drug, offering treatments for numerous parasitic diseases, including:
River blindness
Ivermectin is used to treat onchocerciasis, more commonly known as river blindness. This eye infection is caused by blackflies, which transmit the infection when they bite humans. Ivermectin works as a treatment by killing the adult worms that live in the skin that cause the infection.
Nematode infections
Ivermectin is also used to treat infections caused by parasitic roundworms, such as ascariasis, trichuriasis, and enterobiasis. This drug works by killing the adult parasites that live in the intestines.
Head lice
Ivermectin is often used to treat head lice, which are tiny insects that live in the hair and feed on human blood. The drug works to kill both the lice and the eggs.
Scabies
Scabies is a parasitic skin infection caused by mites that burrow beneath the skin’s surface. Ivermectin is one of several treatments used to treat this infection, as the drug kills the adult mites and eggs.
Impact of Ivermectin in the Developing World
The use of ivermectin has had a major impact in the developing world. In the past, the diseases that ivermectin treats have caused massive amounts of suffering and death, particularly among the most impoverished populations. With the availability of ivermectin and other antiparasitic drugs, however, these diseases are now largely preventable and treatable.
Ivermectin has been used in targeted treatment campaigns in regions affected by the diseases it treats. These campaigns have been hugely successful in eliminating river blindness and other parasitic diseases from entire countries. In 2020, for example, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the elimination of river blindness in Colombia, a major victory made possible with the help of ivermectin.
In addition to its use in targeted treatment campaigns, ivermectin is also used in mass drug administrations. These are programs that distribute drugs to entire populations in an effort to preemptively protect against the diseases ivermectin treats. Mass drug administration programs have been implemented in multiple countries, including Ecuador, Mali, and other South American and African nations.
The Future of Ivermectin
The impact of Dr. William C. Campbell, Dr. Satoshi Ōmura, and Professor Tu Youyou’s discoveries has been immense. Thanks to their work, ivermectin is now widely available and easily accessible worldwide, offering treatments for parasitic diseases that once caused great suffering.
Rather than resting on the laurels of ivermectin’s current successes, the Nobel Prize Laureates are looking to the future of ivermectin. A major focus of the research surrounding ivermectin is considering how this drug can be used to treat diseases other than parasitic ones. Research is also being done on how to make more comprehensive and robust mass drug administrations programs to reach even more people in need of ivermectin.
With the continued innovation, research, and dedication of the Nobel Prize laureates and researchers worldwide, ivermectin has the potential to continue to make even greater impacts on global health.
The discovery of ivermectin by Dr. William C Campbell and Dr. Satoshi Ōmura and the Nobel Prize they were awarded for it is a major milestone in the history of medicine. Ivermectin has had immense impacts in the developing world, providing treatments for parasitic diseases that would have otherwise caused massive suffering and death. It has been used in targeted treatment campaigns to eliminate river blindness and other parasitic diseases from entire countries, as well as mass drug administration programs in an effort to provide preemptive protection from disease. Thanks to the continued dedication and innovation of the Nobel Prize laureates and researchers worldwide, ivermectin has the potential to continue to make even more impacts on global health well into the future.
