The Food and Drug Administration has reportedly agreed to remove and stop reposting several social media messages suggesting that Ivermectin — a drug used by some doctors to treat COVID-19 — is intended for animals and not humans. The move settles a lawsuit by three doctors who accused the FDA of hurting their medical practices.
The lawsuit targeted both the FDA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and both agencies’ secretaries. The case was initially dismissed in June of 2022, as a judge cited the FDA’s “sovereign immunity.”
However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned the ruling on Thursday, March 21. The court said that the FDA’s role is not to provide personalized medical advice.
As a result of the latest ruling, the FDA has agreed to stop publishing a consumer update titled: “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Prevent COVID-19” and remove all related social media posts within 21 days.
Ivermectin is approved for both animal and human use, and it’s used to treat some parasitic infections. However, the FDA does not recommend the drug for COVID-19 treatment, saying that there is a danger in excessive doses.
Meanwhile, Ivermectin advocates celebrated the court’s decision, and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed the FDA’s stance against Ivermectin amounted to bias against “low-cost therapies.”
The FDA declined to comment on Kennedy’s claims, but said again that clinical trial data does not support Ivermectin’s use to treat COVID-19.
The FDA told Newsweek that it decided to settle the lawsuit “rather than continuing to litigate over statements that are between two and nearly four years old.”
