TOKYO - Japanese trading and pharmaceutical company Kowa Co Ltd said on Monday anti-parasite drug ivermectin showed an "antiviral effect" against Omicron and other variants of coronavirus in joint non-clinical research.
The company did not provide further details.
The firm has been working with Kitasato University, a medical university in Tokyo, on testing the drug which is used to treat parasites in animals and humans, as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
Clinical trials are ongoing but promotion of the drug as a COVID-19 treatment has generated controversy.
The drug is not approved for treatment of COVID-19 in Japan and the U.S. Federal Drug Administration, the World Health Organization and the EU drug regulator have warned against its use.