FDA Did Not Change Position on Ivermectin Use, Contrary to Online Claims

The number of ivermectin cases reported to poison control centers increased markedly in the summer of 2021, as peddlers of medical misinformation promoted its use as a treatment for COVID-19 despite a lack of evidence and advice to the contrary from public health agencies.

As we’ve explained, ivermectin is approved for human use as an anti-parasitic drug and is also widely available in different formulations for veterinary use.

In March 2021, however, the Food and Drug Administration said that it had “received multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses.”

The FDA explained that using drugs that haven’t been approved to treat a particular disease “can cause serious harm.” The agency described some of the potential consequences of unauthorized ivermectin use, specifically warning about the highly concentrated versions of the drug made for horses.

But by the summer of 2021, ivermectin had been embraced in an increasingly politicized response to the pandemic, with conservative politicians and groups promoting the drug.