Modern medicine's loss is social media's gain. Since the pandemic hit, public trust in science and evidence-based medicine, like lifesaving vaccines, has declined. Yet, trust in the anecdotal and often bonkers health advice that endlessly swirls on social media only seems to have risen—and that trust seems unshakeable.
A perfect example of this is ivermectin. In the early stages of the pandemic, some laboratory data suggested that ivermectin—a decades-old deworming drug—might be able to prevent or treat COVID-19. The antiparasitic drug was initially used in the 1970s to treat worm infections in animals, but years later, it gained FDA approval as a prescription drug for treating parasitic infections in humans, including river blindness.
Before scientists could conduct clinical trials to know if ivermectin could also treat the new viral infection, COVID-19, the idea took off, mainly among conservatives. Anecdotes and misinformation ballooned.
High-quality trials subsequently found that ivermectin does not treat COVID-19. Still, people kept using it. The US Food and Drug Administration released several warnings about misuse, including urging people not to use veterinary formulations of the drug, which are not safe for human consumption. For some, the warnings had no effect. This led the FDA to post a memorable message on social media, stating "You are not a horse," which was later deleted. Still, people kept using it. Officials saw a rise in calls to poison control centers. Two deaths in New Mexico were linked to ivermectin overdoses.
Now, years after the acute phases of the COVID-19 crisis, the misinformation about ivermectin has not only persisted but also continued to grow and morph. Ivermectin now allegedly cures all cancers, foot pain, arthritis, lupus, acne, and even boosts your gut microbiome—in addition to curing COVID-19. It would be quite the miracle drug if only there were evidence to support any of that.
The viral suggestion that ivermectin can treat cancer has gained the most attention, and researchers are in the early stages of clinical trials to see if it can improve outcomes. "It’s certainly not a cancer breakthrough, from what we can tell,” Larry Norton, medical director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told The New York Times in March. "But it’s being actively investigated. That’s really all that one can say at this point."
Doctors told the Times that they have already seen some cases where patients with treatable, early-stage cancers have delayed effective treatments to try ivermectin, only to see no effect and return to their doctor's office with cancers that have advanced.
Risky business
Nevertheless, the malignant misinformation on social media has made its way into state legislatures. According to an investigation by NBC News published Monday, 16 states have proposed or passed legislation that would make ivermectin available over the counter. The intention is to make it much easier for people to get ivermectin and use it for any ailment they believe it can cure.
Idaho, Arkansas, and Tennessee have passed laws to make ivermectin available over the counter. On Monday, Louisiana's state legislature passed a bill to do the same, and it now awaits signing by the governor. The other states that have considered or are considering such bills include: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
State laws don't mean the dewormer would be readily available, however; ivermectin is still regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and it has not been approved for over-the-counter use yet. NBC News called 15 independent pharmacies in the three states that have laws on the books allowing ivermectin to be sold over the counter (Idaho, Arkansas, and Tennessee) and couldn't find a single pharmacist who would sell it without a prescription. Pharmacists pointed to the federal regulations.
Likewise, CVS Health said its pharmacies are not currently selling ivermectin over the counter in any state. Walgreens declined to comment.
Some states, such as Alabama, have considered legislation that would protect pharmacists from any possible disciplinary action for dispensing ivermectin without a prescription. However, one pharmacist in Idaho, who spoke with NBC News, said that such protection would still not be enough. As a prescription-only drug, ivermectin is not packaged for retail sale. If it were, it would include over-the-counter directions and safety statements written specifically for consumers.
"If you dispense something that doesn’t have directions or safety precautions on it, who’s ultimately liable if that causes harm?" the pharmacist said. "I don’t know that I would want to assume that risk."
It's a risk people on social media don't seem to be concerned with.
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