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An infectious disease expert at the Mayo Clinic offered a compelling assessment when asked about people’s use of an unapproved horse medicine to treat COVID-19. saying in part, “It’s hard to explain.”
Dr. Gregory Poland, head of the Mayo Clinic vaccine research group, said Monday in a Mayo Clinic question and answer podcast that the number of people who “go” to the drug, ivermectin, is “amazing.” Ivermectin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat specific cases of parasitic worms in humans, as well as some skin diseases. There is also an animal version to prevent parasites.
The FDA says it is not an antiviral drug and, at best, there is mixed testing that is effective in dampening COVID-19.
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However, the demand for ivermectin, driven by misinformation, has skyrocketed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said ivermectin prescriptions have grown 24 times over the past week compared to before the pandemic. There had been approximately 3,600 prescriptions per week prior to COVID; the week ending August 13, 88,000 prescriptions were dispensed.
“If I told you, you know what, instead of an FDA-approved vaccine that has been tested on hundreds of thousands of people. Instead, we take a drug that is used to treat parasites,” Poland said. to the Mayo Clinic podcast. “And many people buy it without a prescription in a preparation for the treatment of animals that has not been studied for this, which makes sick, can cause hallucinations, coma and, if taken during pregnancy, can cause congenital defects, and we will use it “.
In May, the University of Minnesota School of Medicine began a $ 1.7 million clinical trial of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The school, as of Aug. 11, said existing trials show “mixed results,” noting that “at this time there is not enough data to recommend its use in COVID-19.” As for trials that suggest some potential benefit, the school says these studies are not peer-reviewed and have several flaws, including a small sample size and an inconsistent dose.
Poland described these existing studies as “very poorly conducted trials,” noting that the Cochrane Collaboration said there are no data indicating that ivermectin is effective in treating COVID-19.
Merck, which produces ivermectin and would benefit economically from increased sales, even said that earlier this year there was “no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19.” there is no significant evidence on clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 Disease ”and one“ relative to the lack of safety data in most studies ”.
The CDC also noted five times more ivermectin-related calls that reached poison control centers in July 2021 compared to before the pandemic. These calls often involve “adverse effects and visits to the emergency department and hospital,” the CDC said.
The Minnesota Poison Control Center told Bring Me The News that it received nine calls for ivermectin exposure in August.
“So this is one of those, you can’t even believe you’re watching and hearing this,” Poland said. “You can’t believe the number of calls to poison control centers, as people take this drug unregulated, often taking the animal preparation, which is not regulated by the FDA, contains ingredients other than human forms of medicine they do not have, and It is making me sick and there is no benefit.
“It’s hard to explain.”