rand paul says scientists refuse to study de-worming drug ivermectin as a potential covid treatment because they have been deranged by their 'hatred for trump
Scientists' 'hatred' for former President Donald Trump is the reason they won't look at deworming drug ivermectin as a potential COVID-19 treatment, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said Friday.
'The hatred for Trump deranged these people so much, that they're unwilling to objectively study it,' he told a group of 60 constituents gathered in the Cold Spring, Kentucky city council chamber.
He added that studies on hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug touted by Trump and his supporters as a COVID treatment, were 'tainted' by researchers' 'hatred for Donald Trump,' the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Ivermectin can be used in small doses to treat parasitic worm infections in humans, like head lice and scabies, but in the US is more widely used to combat roundworms and other parasites in livestock.
Doctors say it has no capacity to treat viruses such as COVID-19.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration have repeatedly warned Americans against using it to treat COVID.
Rand Paul blamed scientists 'deranged' hatred of Trump for not studying ivermectin as a potential COVID treatment despite existing studies that failed to conclude efficacy
Trump has also touted hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial, as a potential COVID treatment
There's been a significant spike in over-the-counter prescriptions of ivermectin outside of its narrow recommended use - commonly in 'veterinary formulations' more suited to livestock, like horses.
Some who can not get a prescription are resorting to using versions of the drugs made for animals.
'Adverse effects associated with ivermectin misuse and overdose are increasing, as shown by a rise in calls to poison control centers reporting overdoses and more people experiencing adverse effects,' the CDC notes.
On Friday Paul said he was 'in the middle on' whether the treatment was effective.
The Republican lawmaker was asked by a woman in his Cold Spring audience why ivermectin wasn't more widely available, adding she had some for herself 'just in case.'
Paul answered that there wasn't enough research for him to know for certain.
'I can't tell you because they will not study ivermectin,' he told constituents.
He told the Cincinnati Enquirer he wanted to 'keep an open mind' on the subject.
What is ivermectin?
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug that was first discovered and used in veterinary medicine in the 1970s.
The FDA approved it to treat parasitic diseases such as River Blindness and roundworm-related issues in humans in 1996, according to JAMA network. A topical version was approved to treat head lice in recent years.
Human doses of ivermectin are usually given in tablets and contain a much smaller amount than for livestock. The latter use is far more common in the United States.
Ivermectin for livestock is widely available in the US and commonly comes in highly concentrated doses.
Overdosing on ivermectin can cause a number of symptoms, including: 'nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death,' according to the FDA
The regulatory body warns people against taking drug doses explicitly meant for animals as it was not properly tested and found to be safe for human use
Studies on ivermectin's possible use as an antiviral drug, including COVID-19 treatment, have yielded 'insufficient data' for scientists to get behind it, the CDC states
However, it has become popularly used by many to treat the virus, and was prescribed 88,000 times in one week, a 24-fold increase over a typical pre-pandemic week, according to the CDC.
The FDA has repeatedly urged people not to use the drug against the coronavirus.
'You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death,' the FDA warned.
Calls to U.S. poison control centers about Ivermectin exposures have increased five-fold from before the pandemic, with a drastic rise in July, according to the CDC.
The drug became popular in some circles after falsehoods about ivermectin's alleged ability to treat COVID-19 spread on social media after some misinterpreted earlier studies into the drug's effectiveness.
Prescriptions of ivermectin, a deworming drug, have increased 24-fold from pre-pandemic levels. The drug has been touted by some conservative figures as a treatment for COVID-19.
Ivermectin can be prescribed to treat things like lice and scabies in people in small doses, but is commonly used to deworm livestock
Some prominent figures in the media have pushed the drug as well.
Between March and this month, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham promoted the drug's use as an alternative COVID-19 treatment.
In June, Sen Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, had his YouTube account suspended for posting a video recommending viewers to take ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as treatments for the virus.
Last week, Mississippi officials reported that 70 percent of recent poison control calls in the state were because of misuse of the dewormer.
Texas has reported a sharp spike in poison calls as well when compared to last year.
In August 2020, Texas reported two poison control calls related to ivermectin, reported WFAA.
This August, the state received 55 calls, a 27-fold increase.
Additionally, Texas Poison Control recorded 23 ivermectin poisoning cases from January to August 2020, compared to 150 this year - a 552 percent increase.
These figures are likely an undercount.
Cold Spring, where Paul was speaking, is near the Kentucky-Ohio border.
Scientists maintain the best way to prevent COVID-19 is to be vaccinated. The US has seen nearly 640,000 COVID-linked deaths since early 2020
An hour north of Cold Spring in Ohio's Butler County, a Common Pleas judge ordered a hospital in the University of Cincinnati network to treat a patient with ivermectin after it initially refused.
The lawsuit was filed by a hospitalized COVID patient's wife after an Ohio physician she referred to as 'one of the foremost experts on using ivermectin in treating COVID-19' prescribed it for his use, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
Dr. Fred Wagshul accused the CDC and FDA of a 'conspiracy' against the drug and compared the government's lack of support for it to 'genocide.'
Similar lawsuits have been filed in New York and Illinois.
At his town hall Friday, Paul also railed against vaccine and mask mandates. He supported older people getting vaccinated but stressed that it's a personal choice.
Paul told his audience that he's 'in the middle ground' on vaccines.
'I'm not against the vaccine. I've already recommended if you're at risk to take it,' he said. 'It's still your choice if its a free country.'
It's also not the first time Paul is targeting the scientific community - the senator has had several public spats with Dr. Anthony Fauci at congressional hearings on the state of the pandemic.
The two men have traded verbal blows that rose to Paul threatening Fauci with jail time and Fauci calling Paul a 'liar.'