AMA, APhA, ASHP Call for Immediate End to Ivermectin for COVID-19

The AMA, American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) have called for an “immediate end” to the prescribing, dispensing, and use of COVID-19 treatment, ivermectin, outside of a clinical trial. 

Previous studies showed that ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19 is harmful to patients. And calls to poison control centers due to ivermectin injection increased “24-fold” during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Therefore, the organizations urged physicians, pharmacists, and other prescribers to warn patients against the use of ivermectin outside of FDA-approved indications and guidance. 

“We are alarmed by reports that outpatient prescribing for and dispensing of ivermectin have increased 24-fold since before the pandemic and increased exponentially over the past few months,” the organizations said in an official statement. 

In February, NIH, the World Health Organization, and Merck released individual statements expressing that they do not believe that the available data support the safety and efficacy of ivermectin beyond the doses and populations that FDA previously indicated.  

The Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends against the use of ivermectin outside of a clinical trial as well. 

Ivermectin tablets are currently approved by FDA to treat strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms. The federal agency also approved the drug for the prevention of heartworm diseases in some animals. 

But in March 2021, FDA released a statement explaining that it has not reviewed data to support the use of ivermectin in COVID-19 patients. And taking a drug for unapproved use is “very dangerous” and can cause “serious” harm.  

CDC recommended that healthcare professionals should counsel patients against the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 and emphasize the potentially toxic effects of the drug, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. 

“The most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 are to get vaccinated, wear a face mask, stay at least six feet from others in public places, wash hands frequently, and avoid large crowds of people,” the organizations said in the recent statement. 

“Our organizations strongly urge eligible unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated,” they concluded.