What happens in a petri dish does not indicate efficacy or safety when used off label in humans warns, the FDA in reference to an Antiviral Research article.
Animal health professionals should be on the lookout for the potential misuse of a human- and animal-prescribed antiparasitic drug thought to be a possible treatment for COVID-19.
Source: Veterinary Practice News, April 13, 2020. Link. The Antiviral Research article, “The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro,” documents how the virus responded to the drug when exposed in a petri dish. Ivermectin, FDA clarifies, was not given to people or animals in this study.