Ivermectin

I’m getting a bit annoyed with the pundits on my favorite center-left news outlet who keep referring to Ivermectin as “horse de-wormer” as if it were used solely for that purpose. Such references tend to distort the issue, suggesting that this medicine is inappropriate for human use. It isn’t. 

Ivermectin is indicated in the treatment of crusted scabies (so called Norwegian scabies) that occurs in some debilitated elderly as well as in some folks with immunity-compromising conditions. It is also used in the treatment of Onchocerciasis – a parasitic disease that causes river blindness. Onchocerciasis occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and in some South American countries. Worldwide, it is the second leading cause of blindness, Chlamydial trachoma infection being the first. (Aside: I’ve always considered Religion and Politics the leading causes of blindness.) Ivermectin has other uses in modern medicine.

So, Ivermectin has important human uses; it isn’t just a horse de-wormer. What is inappropriate in its current use is that some are prescribing it for COVID when all the reputable clinical research shows that it doesn’t do fuck for COVID. 

Yet, while being nothing more than a placebo (bogus) treatment for COVID, recent health services (pharmacy data) research shows that Americans are spending $130M annually for this placebo, according to a Medscape item that I read yesterday.

Sigh.