Abstract: viruses Article Effects of a Single Dose of Ivermectin on Viral and Clinical Outcomes in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infected Subjects: A Pilot Clinical Trial in Lebanon Ali A. Samaha 1,2,3,4,† , Hussein Mouawia 1,† , Mirna Fawaz 2 , Hamad Hassan 1,5 , Ali Salami 6 , Ali Al Bazzal 1 , Hamid Bou Saab 7 , Mohamed Al-Wakeel 8 , Ahmad Alsaabi 9 , Mohamad Chouman 1 , Mahmoud Al Moussawi 10 , Hassan Ayoub 4 , Ali Raad 1 , Ola Hajjeh 1 , Ali H. Eid 11,12, * and Houssam Raad 1, * 1 2 3 4 5 6



 7 8 9 Citation: Samaha, A.A.; Mouawia, 10 H.; Fawaz, M.; Hassan, H.; Salami, A.; 11 Bazzal, A.A.; Saab, H.B.; Al-Wakeel, 12 M.; Alsaabi, A.; Chouman, M.; et al. * † Effects of a Single Dose of Ivermectin Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon; ali.samaha@liu.edu.lb (A.A.S.); houssein.mouawia@ul.edu.lb (H.M.); hamad.hassan@ul.edu.lb (H.H.); ali.albazzal@gmail.com (A.A.B.); doctorchouman@gmail.com (M.C.); dr.raad.ali@hotmail.com (A.R.); hajjehpharmacy@hotmail.com (O.H.) Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Mazraa 1105, Lebanon; mirna.fawaz@bau.edu.lb Department of Biomedical Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Mazraa 1105, Lebanon Department of Cardiology, Rayak University Hospital, Bekaa 1801, Lebanon; ayoub_hassan@yahoo.com Ministry of Health, Beirut, Lebanon Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Nabatieh 1700, Lebanon; a.salami@ul.edu.lb Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Zahle 1801, Lebanon; h.bousab@ul.edu.lb Karbala Health Directory, Baghdad 10081, Iraq; mohammed.alwakeel1983@gmail.com Department of Biology, Lille University, 59160 Lille, France; ahmad_alsaabi@hotmail.com Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Islamic University of Lebanon, Baalbek 1800, Lebanon; dr.Mmouss@yahoo.com Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Unit, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Correspondence: ali.eid@qu.edu.qa (A.H.E.); raadhoussam@yahoo.fr (H.R.); Tel.: +974-4403-7893 (A.H.E.) These authors contributed equally to this work. on Viral and Clinical Outcomes in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infected Subjects: A Pilot Clinical Trial in Lebanon. Viruses 2021, 13, 989. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13060989 Academic Editors: Kenneth Lundstrom and Alaa A. A. Aljabali Received: 19 March 2021 Accepted: 9 May 2021 Published: 26 May 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Abstract: Objective: This study was designed to determine the efficacy of ivermectin, an FDAapproved drug, in producing clinical benefits and decreasing the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic subjects that tested positive for this virus in Lebanon. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 100 asymptomatic Lebanese subjects that have tested positive for SARS-CoV2. Fifty patients received standard preventive treatment, mainly supplements, and the experimental group received a single dose (according to body weight) of ivermectin, in addition to the same supplements the control group received. Results: There was no significant difference (p = 0.06) between Ct-values of the two groups before the regimen was started (day zero), indicating that subjects in both groups had similar viral loads. At 72 h after the regimen started, the increase in Ct-values was dramatically higher in..