Photo via US Food and Drug Administration
Feed and tack shops in Kamloops are getting calls and orders for a livestock de-worming medication some have touted as a therapeutic treatment for COVID-19.
When it comes to people, Ivermectin is available only with a doctors prescription, and it is used for treating parasites not viruses.
The veterinary version is available over the counter – and despite warnings from the CDC as well as the maker of both the human and animal versions – people are seeking it out.
None of the feed shops we spoke to wanted to go on tape – but one said they recently removed Ivermectin from their website in order to discourage its off-label use.
Meanwhile at Manshadi Pharmacy which caters to humans, Missagh Manshadi says he’s even taken a few prescriptions for COVID treatment written by what he calls “confused” doctors.
“If it is prescribed for certain conditions it has to be under the supervision of a doctor,” he told NL News. “It is what it is. We don’t have Ivermectin in our pharmacy. We do not dispense Ivermectin for COVID-19.”
“This medication is taken orally. We use it for parasitic conditions in our pharmacy. At the present this drug is not – it’s sold out. It’s not available. Therefore, people are seeking this medication through the feed stores.”
Similarly, in Calgary, a feed store manager says he’s had to take a the drug off the shelves because people were looking for it as a way to treat COVID-19.
Lance Olson at Lone Star Tack & Feed says Ivermectin is not something people should be buying and putting in their orange juice or coffee, because it’s not safe.
“It’s obviously not intended for human use in any way, shape or form. It’s meant to get rid of worms in horses’ guts … so, these people see that ivermectin liquid, they search it, our website comes up and they give us a call thinking that we can just sell it to them,” Olson told the CBC.
“If you don’t know what it is, you probably don’t have animals that you’re going to use this on … given the circumstances surrounding this stuff, it makes it very uncomfortable when people phone … so we’ve taken it off our shelves.”
An Alberta Health Services spokesperson says an AHS Scientific Advisory Group conducted a review to explore using Ivermectin in treatment and prevention of COVID-19, however it was not approved.
The US Food and Drug Administration also issued a statement Saturday following reports of people being hospitalized after taking the medication.
“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,” they said, on twitter.
“For one thing, animal drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows, which can weigh a lot more than we do – a ton or more. Such high doses can be highly toxic in humans,” the statement said.
“Moreover, FDA reviews drugs not just for safety and effectiveness of the active ingredients, but also for the inactive ingredients. Many inactive ingredients found in animal products aren’t evaluated for use in people. Or they are included in much greater quantity than those used in people. In some cases, we don’t know how those inactive ingredients will affect how ivermectin is absorbed in the human body.”
One study that suggested a possible benefit as a treatment for those with COVID-19 has since been retracted after concerns about fraud and data fabrication.
You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it. https://t.co/TWb75xYEY4
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 21, 2021
– With files from The Canadian Press
Kamloops feed and tack shops getting calls about using livestock dewormer Ivermectin as COVID-19 cure - radionl.com
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