ArticleThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2012
Ivermectin is a potent inhibitor of flavivirus replication specifically targeting NS3 helicase activity: new prospects for an old drug.
Article in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 198 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Safety and Efficacy Outcome of Ivermectin Plus Doxycycline in Treatment of RT-PCR Positive Adult Mild Covid-19 Cases: a Randomized Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trial
A Two-arm Randomized Double-blind Study With COVID19-0001-USR Administered Via Nebulization to Patients With Mild and/or Moderate Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-COV-2) Infection to Decrease Viral Load
Who cites it
198 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 421 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of experimental evidence for antiviral effects of ivermectin and an in silico analysis of ivermectin's possible mode of action against SARS-CoV-2.Fundamental & clinical pharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- From hydroxychloroquine to ivermectin: what are the anti-viral properties of anti-parasitic drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2?Journal of travel medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Ivermectin, a potential anticancer drug derived from an antiparasitic drug.Pharmacological research · 2021Pooled it
- Ivermectin: a systematic review from antiviral effects to COVID-19 complementary regimen.The Journal of antibiotics · 2020Pooled it
- Chemoprophylaxis against COVID-19 among health-care workers using Ivermectin in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Indian journal of pharmacologyPooled it
- Efficacy of single-dose and double-dose ivermectin early treatment in preventing progression to hospitalization in mild COVID-19: A multi-arm, parallel-group randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) · 2022Trial
- Possible Role of Ivermectin Mucoadhesive Nanosuspension Nasal Spray in Recovery of Post-COVID-19 Anosmia.Infection and drug resistance · 2022Trial
- Single-dose oral ivermectin in mild and moderate COVID-19 (RIVET-COV): A single-centre randomized, placebo-controlled trial.Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy · 2021Trial
- Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of adding ivermectin to treatment in severe COVID-19 patients.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Trial
- Clinical, Biochemical and Molecular Evaluations of Ivermectin Mucoadhesive Nanosuspension Nasal Spray in Reducing Upper Respiratory Symptoms of Mild COVID-19.International journal of nanomedicine · 2021Trial
- Repeated-Dose High-Dose Ivermectin Pharmacokinetics and Safety in Children with Acute Dengue.Paediatric drugs · 2026Article
- Emetine dihydrochloride inhibits Chikungunya virus nsP2 helicase and shows robust antiviral activity in cells and mice.Journal of biomedical science · 2026Article
- Article
- Allosteric Regulation of RNA Affinity by Motif V-VI Coupling in West Nile Virus NS3 Helicase.Proteins · 2026Article
- Ivermectin in veterinary medicine: a narrative review of antiparasitic efficacy, resistance evolution, antiviral evidence, and One Health implications.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Review
- Pathogenicity and virulence of Kyasanur Forest disease: A comprehensive review of an expanding zoonotic threat in southwestern India.Virulence · 2025Review
- Ivermectin repurposing for COVID-19: pharmacological and bibliometric analysis.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
- Therapeutic and Formulation Advances of Ivermectin in Veterinary and Human Medicine.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Membrane Perturbations and Assay Interferences by Ivermectin Explain Its In Vitro SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Activities and Lack of Translatability.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Computational repurposing of drugs against dengue virus targeting NS5 and methyltransferase proteins.Scientific reports · 2025Article
138 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesInfection with yellow fever virus (YFV), the prototypic mosquito-borne flavivirus, causes severe febrile disease with haemorrhage, multi-organ failure and a high mortality. Moreover, in recent years the Flavivirus genus has gained further attention due to re-emergence and increasing incidence of West Nile, dengue and Japanese encephalitis viruses. Potent and safe antivirals are urgently needed.
methodsStarting from the crystal structure of the NS3 helicase from Kunjin virus (an Australian variant of West Nile virus), we identified a novel, unexploited protein site that might be involved in the helicase catalytic cycle and could thus in principle be targeted for enzyme inhibition. In silico docking of a library of small molecules allowed us to identify a few selected compounds with high predicted affinity for the new site. Their activity against helicases from several flaviviruses was confirmed in in vitro helicase/enzymatic assays. The effect on the in vitro replication of flaviviruses was then evaluated.
resultsIvermectin, a broadly used anti-helminthic drug, proved to be a highly potent inhibitor of YFV replication (EC₅₀ values in the sub-nanomolar range). Moreover, ivermectin inhibited, although less efficiently, the replication of several other flaviviruses, i.e. dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis viruses. Ivermectin exerts its effect at a timepoint that coincides with the onset of intracellular viral RNA synthesis, as expected for a molecule that specifically targets the viral helicase.
conclusionsThe well-tolerated drug ivermectin may hold great potential for treatment of YFV infections. Furthermore, structure-based optimization may result in analogues exerting potent activity against flaviviruses other than YFV.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.