Ivermectin, a derivative of ivermectin, was discovered in the late 1970s and introduced as a medication in the 1980s. It belongs to the class of medications known as antihelminthics and is primarily used to treat various parasitic infections, including onchocerciasis (river blindness) and strongyloidiasis.
The discovery of Ivermectin is credited to Japanese scientist Satoshi Ōmura and his American colleague William Campbell, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015 for their groundbreaking work in identifying its efficacy against parasitic diseases.