- Accepted on site since May 2021, it had been downloaded 11,000 times
- Preprint server that hosted the paper made the move without asking the authors
Retraction Watch has reported that the scientific paper which claims that treating COVID-19 patients with ivermectin dramatically reduces their odds of hospitalization, has been withdrawn by overseers of the preprint server SocArXiv.
Founded by American sociologist Philip Cohen, the online paper server SocArXiv serves as a pre-publication for research papers, with aims to improve transparency and efficiency.
The withdrawn paper is titled: Ivermectin and the odds of hospitalization due to COVID-19: evidence from a quasi-experimental analysis based on a public intervention in Mexico City.
Since it was accepted on the site in May 2021, it has generated controversy for SocArXiv, prompting withdrawal. It had been downloaded 11,000 times.
The paper’s conclusion is, “The study supports ivermectin-based interventions to assuage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system.”
Reason for withdrawal is contained in their statement here.
The overseers of the site have termed the work in the paper as “misleading” and “part of an unethical program by the government of Mexico City to dispense hundreds of thousands of doses of an inappropriate medication to people who were sick with COVID-19.”
For details read Retraction Watch
