Why We Can't Stop Talking About Ivermectin

Ivermectin is in the spotlight again -- thanks to Joe Rogan, Mel Gibson, and even some related legislation making its way around the country. Moreover, people we are speaking with who mistrust mainstream science regularly bring it up as an example illustrating a dishonest public health and media establishment.  How did an uncontroversial workhorse of an anti-parasitic drug—one that has saved countless lives and earned its discoverers a Nobel Prize—become and is continuing to be a major driver of mistrust for science and public health today? Despite numerous studies confirming that it’s ineffective for treating or preventing COVID-19, Ivermectin has become a focal point in our national debate over the pandemic response, censorship, government overreach, and 'my science vs. your science' worldviews. This is the story of often stirring anecdotes versus solid double-blind studies, at times condescending public health and media messaging, the Wild West of medical research, the role of money in medicine, and, finally, medical freedom. We speak with Dr. David Boulware, a physician and one of the lead researchers who studied and did trials on Ivermectin, in an episode about what this unassuming drug has revealed about who we are and where we are headed. Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonMaggie Bartlettwith special guest host, Dr. Mark AbdelmalekGuest:Dr. David Boulware, infectious disease physician at the University of Minnesota, who oversaw the design of multiple clinical trials of IvermectinSources:Study Confirms No Benefit to Taking Ivermectin for COVID-19 Symptomshttps://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/study-confirms-no-benefit-taking-ivermectin-covid-19-symptoms CDC alert on dramatic rise in prescriptions, poison control reports, adverse events from ivermectinhttps://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/109271#tabs-220-30% of prescriptions are off-label:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9998554/#:~:text=Off%2Dlabel%20prescriptions%20for%20drugs,%25)3%20(Figure%201).Is Ivermectin Bogus or a “Miracle Drug”? https://www.newsweek.com/ivermectin-bogus-miracle-drug-truth-lies-somewhere-between-1635304 Emergency Use Authorizations of COVID-19–Related Medical Products:https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2787205Frontline Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC Alliance) page with data they say supports the use of ivermectin:https://covid19criticalcare.com/ivermectin/Bill forcing hospitals to administer ivermectin, other requested treatments nears finish linehttps://www.cleveland.com/open/2024/12/bill-forcing-hospitals-to-administer-ivermectin-other-requested-treatments-nears-finish-line.html Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]