A bill Thursday passed the Tennessee Senate that would allow patients to obtain a commonly-used drug over the counter.
SB 2188 “authorizes ivermectin suitable for human use to be sold or purchased as an over-the-counter medication in this state without a prescription or consultation with a pharmacist or certain other healthcare professional.”
Ivermectin, a widely used anti-parasitic, has been the subject of hot debate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the failure of the federal government to authorize the use of any therapeutics to treat patients with COVID-19, instead of choosing to push vaccines as the only solution to the deadly virus, some Americans turned to Ivermectin.
But many were denied prescriptions – even by pharmacies – when they sought to treat themselves with the drug.
The bill, introduced by State Senator Frank Niceley (R-District 8), would allow anyone to obtain the drug without approval from a doctor or pharmacist.
Whether Ivermectin works in fighting COVID-19 has never truly been established, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is against its use, despite the fact that the government agency itself has deemed the drug safe for humans with other medical conditions.
In fact, Ivermectin won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015.
“The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals,” the FDA’s website says. “Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.”
The FDA contributed to the false narrative that Ivermectin is solely a “horse dewormer” (it is also used in much higher doses to treat parasites in livestock) which led to the ostracizing of people who used it to fight COVID-19.
“There seems to be a growing interest in a drug called ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans,” the FDA said. “Certain animal formulations of ivermectin such as pour-on, injectable, paste, and “drench,” are approved in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals.”
One group of doctors has staunchly supported the use of Ivermectin, even in the face of disavowal by their peers.
Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, a group of doctors who have been ostracized from the rest of the scientific community, tracked research about the drug.
“Moderate-certainty evidence finds that large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin,” one paper they cite on their website said. “Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease. The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic globally.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Frank Niceley” by Tennessee General Assembly. Background Photo “Ivermectin Tablets” by Bundesministerium für Finanzen. CC BY 2.0.
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