Approximately 35 years after its astonishing discovery, ivermectin is one of the most significant medications in veterinary and human medicine for the management of parasitic infection. It was the joint recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Although its activity on glutamate-gated chloride channels in parasitic worms is best described, knowledge of its mode of action is still lacking. Ivermectin resistance is increasingly pervasive in the field of veterinary medicine, however the mechanisms underlying resistance are still unclear. Here, we go into this versatile drug's background and application to world health. We question if ivermectin could have other mechanisms of action on parasitic nematodes based on recent investigations in a number of systems.
