The New Jersey pharmaceutical company supplying ivermectin to a UK trial that was paused for a short period of time, says there are no supply issues with its pills.
Ivermectin is being investigated as part of the government-backed Platform Randomised Trial of Treatments in the Community for Epidemic and Pandemic Illnesses (PRINCIPLE) in the United Kingdom as a possible home treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The trial was put on hold due to “temporary supply issues” as reported by Medpage Today on Dec. 14.
Details were not provided on the cause of the supply issues. The trial’s joint chief investigator, professor Chris Butler, and the trial’s press team declined to comment and respond to a query asking when the supply issue is expected to be resolved.
The Epoch Times also reached out to Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust in England—one of two organizations responsible for QP (quality person) release, importing, and, labeling of ivermectin in the trial—but did not receive a reply.
Daniel Worley Jr., Vice President of Business Development and Associate General Counsel of Edinbridge Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer supplying the medicine, told The Epoch Times in an email that the company “is not experiencing any supply issues related to its ivermectin tablets (3mg) product.”
The company’s ivermectin tablets were added to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Prequalified Medicines List last year in September, which ensures that a medicine meets “acceptable standards of quality, safety, and efficacy” for international procurement agencies to purchase and distribute in “resource-limited countries.” The list is part of the United Nation’s Prequalification of Medicines Programme and is run by the WHO.
The halt on the trial has since been lifted as of Friday. However, PRINCIPLE says it is now pausing “for registrations over the Festive Break” and will “reopen for registrations on January 4th,” according to the trial’s website.
Doctors Question Lack of Ivermectin Supply
When PRINCIPLE announced its ivermectin trial in June 2021, Butler, the co-chief investigator, said the drug was safe and readily available, suggesting that there was an appropriate supply of the drug.
“Ivermectin is readily available globally, has been in wide use for many other infectious conditions, so it’s a well-known medicine with a good safety profile, and because of the early promising results in some studies it is already being widely used to treat COVID-19 in several countries,” Butler said in a news release.
Several doctors questioned the sudden pause on the PRINCIPLE trial as a result of the ivermectin supply.
Dr. Tess Lawrie, director of the Evidence-based Medicine Consultancy, said the supply issue cited was “plainly ridiculous.” The WHO is one of Lawrie’s company’s clientele.
By Meiling Lee
