ivermectin

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic medication. After its discovery in 1975, its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis. Approved for human use in 1987, it is used to treat infestations including head lice, scabies, river blindness (onchocerciasis), strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, ascariasis and lymphatic filariasis. It works through many mechanisms to kill the targeted parasites, and can be taken by mouth, or applied to the skin for external infestations. It belongs to the avermectin family of medications.

Chemical data

Formula: C95H146O28
Molecular weight: 1736.2 g/mol
IUPAC name: (1R,4S,5'S,6R,6'R,8R,10E,12S,13S,14E,16E,20R,21R,24S)-6'-[(2S)-butan-2-yl]-21,24-dihydroxy-12-[(2R,4S,5S,6S)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6S)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-5',11,13,22-tetramethylspiro[3,7,19-trioxatetracyclo[15.6.1.14,8.020,24]pentacosa-10,14,16,22-tetraene-6,2'-oxane]-2-one;(1R,4S,5'S,6R,6'R,8R,10E,12S,13S,14E,16E,20R,21R,24S)-21,24-dihydroxy-12-[(2R,4S,5S,6S)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6S)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-5',11,13,22-tetramethyl-6'-propan-2-ylspiro[3,7,19-trioxatetracyclo[15.6.1.14,8.020,24]pentacosa-10,14,16,22-tetraene-6,2'-oxane]-2-one
SMILES: CC[C@H](C)[C@@H]1[C@H](CC[C@@]2(O1)C[C@@H]3C[C@H](O2)C/C=C(/[C@H]([C@H](/C=C/C=C/4\CO[C@H]5[C@@]4([C@@H](C=C([C@H]5O)C)C(=O)O3)O)C)O[C@H]6C[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H](O6)C)O[C@H]7C[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H](O7)C)O)OC)OC)\C)C.C[C@H]1CC[C@]2(C[C@@H]3C[C@H](O2)C/C=C(/[C@H]([C@H](/C=C/C=C/4\CO[C@H]5[C@@]4([C@@H](C=C([C@H]5O)C)C(=O)O3)O)C)O[C@H]6C[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H](O6)C)O[C@H]7C[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H](O7)C)O)OC)OC)\C)O[C@@H]1C(C)C
InChIKey: SPBDXSGPUHCETR-JFUDTMANSA-N
Polar surface area: 340 Å²
H-bond donors: 6
H-bond acceptors: 28
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

11,981 papers

Ivermectin, a potential anticancer drug derived from an antiparasitic drug.Pharmacological research · 2021
Ivermectin: a mini-review.Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2022
Ivermectin in Cancer Treatment: Should Healthcare Providers Caution or Explore Its Therapeutic Potential?Current oncology reports · 2025
Ivermectin for preventing and treating COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022
Ivermectin and non-parasitic disorders: An update.Current opinion in pharmacology · 2025

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 1736.2
Image: Ivermectin skeletal.svg

Show 7 more facts

canonical SMILES: CCC(C)C1C(CCC2(O1)CC3CC(O2)CC=C(C(C(C=CC=C4COC5C4(C(C=C(C5O)C)C(=O)O3)O)C)OC6CC(C(C(O6)C)OC7CC(C(C(O7)C)O)OC)OC)C)C.CC1CCC2(CC3CC(O2)CC=C(C(C(C=CC=C4COC5C4(C(C=C(C5O)C)C(=O)O3)O)C)OC6CC(C(C(O6)C)OC7CC(C(C(O7)C)O)OC)OC)C)OC1C(C)C
chemical formula: C₉₅H₁₄₆O₂₈
World Health Organisation international non-proprietary name: ivermectin
defined daily dose: 12
NCI Thesaurus ID: C61796
described at URL: www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/10/ivermectin-research-problems/620473/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB
Commons category: Ivermectin

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Article

23 sections

Contents

Medical uses
Worm infections
Mites and insects
Contraindications
Adverse effects
Pharmacology
Mechanism of action
Pharmacokinetics
Chemistry
History
Society and culture
COVID-19 misinformation
Economics
Brand names
Research
Parasitic disease
Tropical diseases
NAFLD
COVID-19
Veterinary use
Notes
References
External links

William Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura were awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for its discovery and applications. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. and is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an antiparasitic agent. In 2023, it was the 295th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 400,000 prescriptions. It is available as a generic medicine. Ivermectin is available in a fixed-dose combination with albendazole.