Omaha stores little in ivermectin after false claims of horse deworming product can treat COVID-19

OMAHA, Nebraska (WOWT) – Despite warnings from doctors and public health officials, people continue to buy and use Ivermectin unfairly because of the false belief that it will cure them of COVID-19.

Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug best known for treating animals, has been coming off store shelves for several weeks, including those in Omaha. Local stores say rising demand makes it difficult for them and their suppliers to keep up.

“We ask for it every week,” says Steve Probst, owner of Northwest Feed and Grain. “Normally, it is re-ordered; but from time to time we will take it out. “

Although ivermectin has been approved for use in humans to treat some skin conditions and parasitic worms, it has not been approved by the Centers for Disease Control or the Administration of Food and Drugs to treat COVID- 19, despite claims that may help. Last month the FDA issued a warning about the drug last month.

“A lot of people come in and ask, sometimes we ask them why they use it, we usually ask‘ how many horses do you have? “And you’ll be able to tell pretty quickly if they own horses or not,” Probst said.

The ivermectin products they buy on the shelves are only intended for use in animals such as horses and cows, and are very different from the homologated Ivermectin for humans. The CDC also noted last month that false claims that the drug could be used to treat COVID-19 were driving prescriptions.

“Medicines formulated for animals are usually a higher concentrated dose and, if you think only of the size of the animal, a horse is a much larger animal than a sheep and different things are formulated in a different way, so there are defined risks for more side effects when taking a higher dose than expected for humans in terms of consumption, ”says local poison control education coordinator Angie Pasho.

However, medicines to deworm animals continue to be sold in many places.

“I had a person say to me,‘ They told me to come and buy some, ’so I don’t know who sent them or why they came, but it obviously looked like they didn’t own horses,” Probst told 6 News. “We always remind them that this is for animal use only, and you know, we can’t sort them out and tell them why they can do it and why not, but we can say it.”

Across the country, the number of calls for poison control over Ivermectin has increased, including local.

Pasho said that since the beginning of the pandemic, they have received 30 calls about the product and only a few of these have been about accidental exposures.

“We had a small increase in August,” he said. “In August we had four calls related to ivermectin use in relation to COVID-19 and six total calls in the last 90 days.”

Between 2015 and 2020, the local poison control center received only ten calls in total related to Ivermectin.

Other stores, such as Tractor Supply Co., are also experiencing a massive increase in demand. Stores, including locations in Omaha, have been required to issue a notice next to the product.

“The antiparasitic drug Ivermectin has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in humans. The product sold in our stores is only suitable for animals and is clearly labeled as such. We have signs to remind our customers that these products are for animal use only. “

Although studies are being conducted in the United States and abroad to determine if the drug has any effect on the prevention or termination of COVID-19, major U.S. professional groups for physicians and pharmacists have appealed. to an “immediate end” of drug use outside of research.

To learn more about the uses of Ivermectin, visit the FDA website about the product or talk to your doctor.

–

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 WOWT. All rights reserved.