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Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

nature.com

51–60 of 493 posts

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#51
post #12

So, they demand to change an established scientific practice because they don't like the results it produced in a particular case. And then everyone wonders why people no longer "trust the science".

The asked for the papers to be revised because they found and presented specific clear evidence the data was invalid.

If by "don't like results" you mean "don't like clearly invalid and possibly fraudulent results", then yes. Correct.

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#52
post #25

Ivermectin probably doesn't do anything to fight Covid-19, but the American media has really shown their corruption in the way they've treated it. It's clearly a safe drug to take in human-designed doses, and it's cheap to produce. Laughing at people for poisoning themselves with "horse dewormer" instead of pointing out that they are turning to the vet store because their access to medicine has been marginalized is s…

Their access to the vaccine hasn't been marginalized.

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#53
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There are literally no studies proving that the Pfizer or Moderna gene therapies are safe and effective, or even that they are safe or effective, at both treating and preventing the spread of COVID-19. This is... wildly incorrect.

Calling them gene therapies too.. wow. I hope the more science-literate proponents of IVM can appreciate how much it harms their case for the vast majority of IVM advocates to be this loud and wrong..

> I hope the more science-literate proponents of IVM

If they valued and were capable of reasoning about the science, they would not be “proponents” — they'd recognize the current scientific understanding (no known mechanism or benefits, significant side-effects) and wait for a solid study before recommending anything.

The people you do see advocating it are almost always doing so for political or financial purposes and are thus unlikely to say anything critical since that'd be bad for business.

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#54
post #25

Ivermectin probably doesn't do anything to fight Covid-19, but the American media has really shown their corruption in the way they've treated it. It's clearly a safe drug to take in human-designed doses, and it's cheap to produce. Laughing at people for poisoning themselves with "horse dewormer" instead of pointing out that they are turning to the vet store because their access to medicine has been marginalized is s…

People are literally taking horse formulations of ivermectin because doctors are rightfully refusing to prescribe ivermectin for an off label and ineffective use. Oh, and the access to this medicine is “marginalized” BECAUSE IT DOESNT WORK TO TREAT COVID. We generally do not expect doctors to prescribe medicine that will not work or is not appropriate for the patients condition. Complaining about their access being m…

> People are literally taking horse formulations of ivermectin

People are taking the horse formulation because most pharmacists won't even fill an off-label prescription for the drug, which - even if it has no effect on COVID - is safe and taken by a quarter billion people every year.

Let people take it. It's not harmful.

Or, make a big huge deal about people taking it and, well, then it becomes a big huge deal.

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a federally funded widespread trial, but they take a while to do correctly: https://www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initi... There was also a federally funded trial of hydroxychloroquine last year which has since concluded: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-halts-clin...

And in the meantime, if you buy into the crazed insanity of "pandemic! pandemic! omg we'll all die", then it makes tonnes of sense to treat people with a highly-available, incredibly safe medication that frontline clinicians all over earth are reporting success with, especially a drug that has been dosed ~4 billion times over two generations, that has been most often dosed by illiterate people and delivered by non-do…

I guess the reason doctors aren't prescribing Ivermectin is that they don't buy into "crazed insanity" and don't feel the need to try anything that might work.

And I can only speak for myself, but the attitude I'm seeing is "a lot of people are dying and we should try to work together as a society to stop that from happening", not "omg we're all gonna die".

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#56
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The major paper that drove most of this situation, and the meta analysis, appears to have been a straight up fraud. Umm, wat?! The vast majority of the studies about Ivermectin have been observational, run by front-line clinicians. Prior to 2020, basically everyone on earth agreed (including the WHO, who STILL agrees) that front-line clinicians and observational studies are excellent signals that can lead to scient…

> The vast majority of the studies about Ivermectin have been observational, run by front-line clinicians. OK, so weak evidence. > Prior to 2020, basically everyone on earth agreed (including the WHO, who STILL agrees) that front-line clinicians and observational studies are excellent signals that can lead to scientific investigations that can lead to medical breakthroughs. Sure-- weak/crappy evidence and practitione…

Calling the investigatory and experiential evidence of thousands of highly-trained doctors (some of whom pioneered the standard of care for covid) as "weak evidence" is something that only somebody carrying water for large pharmaceutical companies would say.

Doctors in my area are prescribing IVM to treat covid because in their experience and that of their peers IT WORKS. They have fewer deaths, fewer complications.

But it's "weak" evidence just because Pfizer didn't sponsor a gigantic RCT to "prove" it.

"The only science is real is expensive science done by large corporations!"

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#57
post #28
post #25

Ivermectin probably doesn't do anything to fight Covid-19, but the American media has really shown their corruption in the way they've treated it. It's clearly a safe drug to take in human-designed doses, and it's cheap to produce. Laughing at people for poisoning themselves with "horse dewormer" instead of pointing out that they are turning to the vet store because their access to medicine has been marginalized is s…

It matters a lot if ivermectin doesn't do anything to stop C19, even if it is otherwise safe (it surely is, dosed professionally). People take ivermectin instead of vaccinating or complying with NPIs. If ivermectin doesn't work, that is a very, very big deal.

> People take ivermectin instead of vaccinating or complying with NPIs

Doing one thing but not another doesn't imply you're doing one thing instead of another.

Do you truly believe the people ODing on ivermectin would be lining up for vaccinations if it didn't exist?

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#58
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The major paper that drove most of this situation, and the meta analysis, appears to have been a straight up fraud. Umm, wat?! The vast majority of the studies about Ivermectin have been observational, run by front-line clinicians. Prior to 2020, basically everyone on earth agreed (including the WHO, who STILL agrees) that front-line clinicians and observational studies are excellent signals that can lead to scient…

> The vast majority of the studies about Ivermectin have been observational, run by front-line clinicians. OK, so weak evidence. > Prior to 2020, basically everyone on earth agreed (including the WHO, who STILL agrees) that front-line clinicians and observational studies are excellent signals that can lead to scientific investigations that can lead to medical breakthroughs. Sure-- weak/crappy evidence and practitione…

Given the recent fall from grace of prestigious journals like the Lancet on the Coronavirus evidence, I think it is useful for all of us to remain skeptical and purely science-based.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#59
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The vast majority of the studies about Ivermectin have been observational, run by front-line clinicians. OK, so weak evidence. > Prior to 2020, basically everyone on earth agreed (including the WHO, who STILL agrees) that front-line clinicians and observational studies are excellent signals that can lead to scientific investigations that can lead to medical breakthroughs. Sure-- weak/crappy evidence and practitione…

Calling the investigatory and experiential evidence of thousands of highly-trained doctors (some of whom pioneered the standard of care for covid) as "weak evidence" is something that only somebody carrying water for large pharmaceutical companies would say. Doctors in my area are prescribing IVM to treat covid because in their experience and that of their peers IT WORKS. They have fewer deaths, fewer complications.…

Agreed, retract all the meta-analyses you want, but never dismiss actual front line results by physicians. If you have a regimen with zero deaths for a disease, I don't think we should be suppressing their clinical data. What a world...

Re: Lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are unreliable

#60
post #25

Ivermectin probably doesn't do anything to fight Covid-19, but the American media has really shown their corruption in the way they've treated it. It's clearly a safe drug to take in human-designed doses, and it's cheap to produce. Laughing at people for poisoning themselves with "horse dewormer" instead of pointing out that they are turning to the vet store because their access to medicine has been marginalized is s…

How many users have been taking it in human-designed doses, given that it's not generally prescribed for COVID-19 (and therefore those who are taking it for that purpose are mostly self-medicating)?

Fortunately for me, I know next to nothing about ivermectin, except that the American left is very, very concerned people might be taking it, and I don't know of anyone actually taking it that doesn't have a radio show or podcast. So in my ignorance I would guess very few people are actually taking it and a lot of people are talking about it.
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