Prescriptions for Ivermectin, a deworming drug that has become popular as a Covid treatment despite no evidence it works, increased 24 times from pre-pandemic levels in August, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ivermectin has been touted by some as a cure for Covid-19. It was originally created an antiparasitic treatment for horses but has been given approval for human use in certain instances.
More than 88,000 prescriptions were administered by pharmacists in the week ending 13 August, according to a report by the CDC, a massive spike from pre-pandemic levels. The CDC also said there is no conclusive evidence that the drug is a suitable or effective treatment for Covid-19.
“Ivermectin is not authorized or approved by FDA for prevention or treatment of COVID-19,” the CDC report says.
A number of Republican politicians, such as Senator Rand Paul, has pushed for further investigation into its effectiveness.
“The hatred for Trump deranged these people so much, that they’re unwilling to objectively study it,” Mr Paul said at a town hall last week in Kentucky, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “So someone like me that’s in the middle on it, I can’t tell you because they will not study ivermectin. They will not study hydroxychloroquine without the taint of their hatred for Donald Trump.”
The former president notably promoted hydroxychloroquine, a drug used on malaria patients, as a Covid treatment. Again, the drug has not been widely recommended as a Covid treatment.
The French health minister Olivier Véran said it should only be used to treat covid after “serious forms of hospitalization and on the collegial decision of doctors and under strict medical supervision”.
Along with the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration has published information warning about the problems related to incorrectly using Ivermectin.
According a statement, the drug is “approved by the FDA to treat people with intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms”.
Potential adverse reactions include seizures, comas and hallucinations.
