Tag: Ivermectin origin

Despite common assumptions, ivermectin is not made from a plant at all, but rather derived from a microbe first discovered in a Japanese soil sample. This discovery by microbiologist Satoshi Ōmura led to the development of a 'wonder drug' that has had an immense impact on global public health.

Discovered in the late 1970s from a single soil microbe in Japan, ivermectin was not initially intended for people [1.2.2]. So, was ivermectin originally made for humans? The answer is no; it was first introduced as a revolutionary veterinary drug in 1981 [1.10.2, 1.3.3].