Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics
The capacity for social media to influence the utilization of re-purposed medicines to manage COVID-19, despite limited availability of safety and efficacy data, is a cause for concern within health care systems. This study sought to ascertain links between social media reports and utilization for t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/4/445 |
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| author | Natalie Schellack Morné Strydom Michael S. Pepper Candice L. Herd Candice Laverne Hendricks Elmien Bronkhorst Johanna C. Meyer Neelaveni Padayachee Varsha Bangalee Ilse Truter Andrea Antonio Ellero Thulisa Myaka Elysha Naidoo Brian Godman |
| author_facet | Natalie Schellack Morné Strydom Michael S. Pepper Candice L. Herd Candice Laverne Hendricks Elmien Bronkhorst Johanna C. Meyer Neelaveni Padayachee Varsha Bangalee Ilse Truter Andrea Antonio Ellero Thulisa Myaka Elysha Naidoo Brian Godman |
| author_sort | Natalie Schellack |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The capacity for social media to influence the utilization of re-purposed medicines to manage COVID-19, despite limited availability of safety and efficacy data, is a cause for concern within health care systems. This study sought to ascertain links between social media reports and utilization for three re-purposed medicines: hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), ivermectin and colchicine. A combined retrospective analysis of social media posts for these three re-purposed medicines was undertaken, along with utilization and clinical trials data, in South Africa, between January 2020 and June 2021. In total, 77,257 posts were collected across key social media platforms, of which 6884 were relevant. Ivermectin had the highest number of posts (55%) followed by HCQ (44%). The spike in ivermectin use was closely correlated to social media posts. Similarly, regarding chloroquine (as HCQ is not available in South Africa), social media interest was enhanced by local politicians. Sentiment analysis revealed that posts regarding the effectiveness of these repurposed medicines were positive. This was different for colchicine, which contributed only a small number of mentions (1%). Of concern is that the majority of reporters in social media (85%) were unidentifiable. This study provides evidence of social media as a driver of re-purposed medicines. Healthcare professionals have a key role in providing evidence-based advice especially with unidentifiable posts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:16:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e74326d9d27c4e70b6cf6f6d86cbed0b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:16:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-e74326d9d27c4e70b6cf6f6d86cbed0b2023-12-01T00:31:56ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822022-03-0111444510.3390/antibiotics11040445Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future PandemicsNatalie Schellack0Morné Strydom1Michael S. Pepper2Candice L. Herd3Candice Laverne Hendricks4Elmien Bronkhorst5Johanna C. Meyer6Neelaveni Padayachee7Varsha Bangalee8Ilse Truter9Andrea Antonio Ellero10Thulisa Myaka11Elysha Naidoo12Brian Godman13Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaInstitute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Immunology and SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaInstitute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Immunology and SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaInstitute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Immunology and SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaSchool of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaSchool of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaDepartment of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Therapeutic Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South AfricaDiscipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South AfricaDrug Utilization Research Unit (DURU), Department of Pharmacy, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South AfricaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaSchool of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria 0084, South AfricaThe capacity for social media to influence the utilization of re-purposed medicines to manage COVID-19, despite limited availability of safety and efficacy data, is a cause for concern within health care systems. This study sought to ascertain links between social media reports and utilization for three re-purposed medicines: hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), ivermectin and colchicine. A combined retrospective analysis of social media posts for these three re-purposed medicines was undertaken, along with utilization and clinical trials data, in South Africa, between January 2020 and June 2021. In total, 77,257 posts were collected across key social media platforms, of which 6884 were relevant. Ivermectin had the highest number of posts (55%) followed by HCQ (44%). The spike in ivermectin use was closely correlated to social media posts. Similarly, regarding chloroquine (as HCQ is not available in South Africa), social media interest was enhanced by local politicians. Sentiment analysis revealed that posts regarding the effectiveness of these repurposed medicines were positive. This was different for colchicine, which contributed only a small number of mentions (1%). Of concern is that the majority of reporters in social media (85%) were unidentifiable. This study provides evidence of social media as a driver of re-purposed medicines. Healthcare professionals have a key role in providing evidence-based advice especially with unidentifiable posts.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/4/445social mediare-purposed medicineshydroxychloroquineivermectincolchicineSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Natalie Schellack Morné Strydom Michael S. Pepper Candice L. Herd Candice Laverne Hendricks Elmien Bronkhorst Johanna C. Meyer Neelaveni Padayachee Varsha Bangalee Ilse Truter Andrea Antonio Ellero Thulisa Myaka Elysha Naidoo Brian Godman Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics Antibiotics social media re-purposed medicines hydroxychloroquine ivermectin colchicine South Africa |
| title | Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics |
| title_full | Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics |
| title_fullStr | Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics |
| title_short | Social Media and COVID-19—Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics |
| title_sort | social media and covid 19 perceptions and public deceptions of ivermectin colchicine and hydroxychloroquine lessons for future pandemics |
| topic | social media re-purposed medicines hydroxychloroquine ivermectin colchicine South Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/4/445 |
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