Gov. Andy Beshear is warning Kentuckians not to take an anti-parasitic drug touted as an alternative COVID-19 treatment. The governor paused during a briefing Monday to address usage of the drug, often formulated to treat cows and horses.
Ivermectin hasn’t been approved by the Food & Drug Administration as a medication for COVID patients, but it’s become a trending topic among those reluctant or hostile toward the vaccines. Beshear didn’t cite any specific cases of misuse of the drug in the heart of horse country, but cautioned anyone considering it to think twice.
"Every doctor in America is saying please get vaccinated and somebody on Facebook is says to take a deworming medication and people run out to do it. That's scary," the Democrat commented. "And please, God, don't do that."
This week, an Ohio judge ordered a Cincinnati hospital to administer the drug to a COVID patient in the ICU at the request of his wife, who filed a lawsuit seeking the unproven treatment for her husband.
Though ivermectin is sometimes prescribed to people for head lice or skin conditions, the FDA warns taking large doses of of the drug is "dangerous and can cause serious harm."
