{"id":82531,"date":"2021-09-04T17:22:43","date_gmt":"2021-09-04T21:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=82531"},"modified":"2021-09-04T17:22:43","modified_gmt":"2021-09-04T21:22:43","slug":"why-all-the-fuss-about-ivermectin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=82531","title":{"rendered":"Why All The Fuss About Ivermectin?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more-->By Brian C. Joondeph<br \/>\nAmericanThinker.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>First hydroxychloroquine, now ivermectin, is the hated deadly drug\u00a0<em>de jour<\/em>, castigated by the medical establishment and regulatory authorities.<\/strong>\u00a0Both drugs have been around for a long time as FDA-approved prescription medications. Yet now we are told they are as deadly as arsenic.<\/p>\n<p>As a physician, I am certainly aware of ivermectin but don\u2019t recall ever writing a prescription for it in my 30+ years\u2019 medical career. Ivermectin is an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/drugs\/2\/drug-1122\/ivermectin-oral\/details\">anthelmintic<\/a>, meaning it cures parasitic infections. In my world of ophthalmology, it is used on occasion for rare parasitic or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/eye-parasites#treatment\">worm infections<\/a>\u00a0in the eye.<\/p>\n<div class=\"Advert_desktop__1J5vD Advert_tablet__3QEBr Advert_mobile__1rlLc Advert_placement__1I4yb Advert_align__N0_fw\">\n<aside id=\"in-content-video\" class=\"Advert_verticallySpaced__wnPy3\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/21841313772,21778456762\/zerohedge\/in_content_video_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/21841313772,21778456762\/zerohedge\/in_content_video_1__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Ivermectin was FDA\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accessdata.fda.gov\/drugsatfda_docs\/nda\/98\/50-742s001_Stromectol_Approv.PDF\">approved<\/a>\u00a0in 1998\u00a0<\/strong>under the brand name Stromectol, produced by pharmaceutical giant Merck, approved for several parasitic infections. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accessdata.fda.gov\/drugsatfda_docs\/nda\/98\/50-742s001_Stromectol_PrntLbl.PDF\">product label<\/a>\u00a0described it as having\u00a0<strong>a \u201cunique mode of action,\u201d which \u201cleads to an increase in the permeability of the cell membrane to chloride ions.\u201d This suggests that ivermectin acts as an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/neuroscience\/ionophores\">ionophore<\/a>, making cell membranes permeable to ions that enter the cell for therapeutic effect.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/210826-ivermectin-facebook-covid-2x1-cs-4033d1.jpg?itok=CNGYBinF\" data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/210826-ivermectin-facebook-covid-2x1-cs-4033d1.jpg?itok=CNGYBinF\" data-link-option=\"0\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/210826-ivermectin-facebook-covid-2x1-cs-4033d1.jpg?itok=CNGYBinF\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"8066f7da-686d-446c-a8be-719b8fce7e94\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" \/><\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ivermectin is one of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dadamo.com\/dangerous\/2020\/04\/07\/covid-19-chloroquine-zinc-and-quercetin\/\">several ionophores<\/a>, others including hydroxychloroquine, quercetin, and resveratrol, the latter two available over the counter.<\/strong>\u00a0These ionophores simply open a cellular door, allowing zinc to enter the cell, where it then interferes with viral replication, providing potential therapeutic benefit in viral and other infections.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7251046\/\">scientific paper<\/a>\u00a0reviews and references other studies demonstrating antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer properties of ivermectin.<\/p>\n<p>This explains the interest in this drug as having potential use in treating COVID.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Does ivermectin work in COVID?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>I am not attempting to answer that question, instead looking at readily available information because this drug has been the focus of much recent media attention. For the benefit of any reader eager to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.naturalnews.com\/2021-09-01-leftists-strip-doctors-medical-licenses-vaccine-safety.html\">report<\/a>\u00a0this article and author to the medical licensing boards for pushing misleading information, I am not offering medical advice or prescribing anything. \u00a0Rather, I am only offering commentary on this newsworthy and controversial drug.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s newsworthy about ivermectin? A simple Google search of most medications describes uses and side effects. A similar search of ivermectin provides headlines of why it shouldn\u2019t be taken and how dangerous it is.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/232095_5_.jpg?itok=GdpPifOp\" data-image-external-href=\"\" data-image-href=\"\/s3\/files\/inline-images\/232095_5_.jpg?itok=GdpPifOp\" data-link-option=\"0\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/232095_5_.jpg?itok=GdpPifOp\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"428\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"3646a521-aeaa-4130-b5f4-beada1f8bfb0\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" \/><\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>YouTube\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hiqUY5E1GVo\">screen grab<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Guardian\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2021\/aug\/31\/a-human-is-not-a-horse-so-why-is-a-livestock-drug-sweeping-america-covid-ivermectin\">describes<\/a>\u00a0ivermectin as horse medicine<\/strong>\u00a0reminding readers considering taking the drug, \u201cYou are not a horse. You are not a cow\u201d, saying it\u2019s a medicine meant for farm animals. The FDA echoed that sentiment in a recent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/us_fda\/status\/1429050070243192839\">tweet<\/a>, adding\u00a0<em><strong>\u201cSeriously, y\u2019all. Stop it,\u201d\u00a0their word choice making it obvious who the tweet was directed to.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the FDA didn\u2019t realize that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national\/archive\/2013\/02\/when-presidents-say-yall-the-strange-story-of-dialects-in-america\/272974\/\">Barack<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/av\/world-us-canada-50228183\">Michelle<\/a>\u00a0Obama often used the term \u201cy\u2019all\u201d and that some might construe the FDA tweet as racist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The FDA says ivermectin \u201ccan be dangerous and even lethal,\u201d yet they approved it in 1998 and have not pulled it from the market despite it being \u201cdangerous and lethal.\u201d Any medication can be \u201cdangerous and lethal\u201d if misused. People have even\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill\/\">overdosed<\/a>\u00a0on water.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is true that ivermectin is also used in animals, as are many drugs approved for human use.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This is a list of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_veterinary_drugs\">veterinary drugs<\/a>\u00a0with many familiar names of antibiotics, antihypertensives, and anesthetics commonly used by humans. Since these drugs are used in farm animals, should humans stop taking them? That seems a rather unscientific argument against ivermectin, especially coming from the FDA.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And healthcare professionals are not recommending or prescribing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vcahospitals.com\/know-your-pet\/ivermectin\">animal versions<\/a>\u00a0of ivermectin as there is an FDA-approved human formulation.<\/p>\n<p>Does ivermectin work against COVID? That is the bigger question and worthy of investigation, rather than reminding people that they are not cows.<\/p>\n<p>A study published several months ago in the American Journal of Therapeutics\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/americantherapeutics\/fulltext\/2021\/06000\/review_of_the_emerging_evidence_demonstrating_the.4.aspx\">concluded<\/a>,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Meta-analyses based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>To my knowledge, these 18 studies have not been retracted, unlike previous studies critical of hydroxychloroquine which were ignominiously\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2020\/06\/04\/lancet-retracts-major-covid-19-paper-that-raised-safety-concerns-about-malaria-drugs\/\">retracted<\/a>\u00a0by prestigious medical journals like The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yet the medical establishment refuses to even entertain the possibility of some benefit from ivermectin, castigating physicians who want to try it in their patients. 18 studies found benefit. Are they all wrong?<\/p>\n<p>Podcaster Joe Rogan recently contracted COVID and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/covid-19\/i-feel-good-joe-rogan-contracts-covid-bounces-back-within-days-using-drug-cocktail\">recovered<\/a>\u00a0within days of taking a drug cocktail including ivermectin. Was it his drug cocktail, his fitness, or just good luck? Impossible to know but his experience will keep ivermectin in the news.<\/p>\n<p>Highly unvaccinated India had a surge in COVID cases earlier this year which\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedesertreview.com\/news\/national\/ivermectin-obliterates-97-percent-of-delhi-cases\/article_6a3be6b2-c31f-11eb-836d-2722d2325a08.html\">abruptly ended<\/a>\u00a0following the widespread use of ivermectin, over the objections and criticism of the WHO. In the one state, Tamil Nadu, that did not use ivermectin, cases tripled instead of dropping by 97 percent as in the rest of the country.<\/p>\n<p>This is anecdotal and could have other explanations but the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5403050\/\">discovery of penicillin<\/a>\u00a0was also anecdotal and observational. Good science should investigate rather than ignore such observations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Japanese Medical Association recently\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/thehealthedge.com\/japanese-medical-association-now-endorses-ivermectin-for-covid-19\/\">endorsed<\/a>\u00a0ivermectin for COVID. The US CDC\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/emergency.cdc.gov\/han\/2021\/pdf\/CDC_HAN_449.pdf\">cautioned<\/a>\u00a0against it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is legal pushback as an Ohio judge\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/markets\/ohio-judge-orders-hospital-treat-ventilated-covid-19-patient-ivermectin\">ordered<\/a>\u00a0a hospital to treat a ventilated COVID patient with ivermectin. After a month on the ventilator, this patient is likely COVID free and ivermectin now will have no benefit, allowing the medical establishment to say \u201csee I told you so\u201d that it wouldn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n<p>By this point, active COVID infection is not the issue;\u00a0instead, it is weaning off and recovery from long-term life support. The early hydroxychloroquine studies had the same flaw, treating patients too late in the disease course to provide or demonstrate benefit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>These drugs have been proposed for early outpatient treatment, not when patients are seriously ill and near death. Looking for treatment benefits in the wrong patient population will yield expected negative results.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Given how devastating COVID can be and how, despite high levels of vaccination in countries like the US, UK, and Israel, we are seeing surging cases and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beckershospitalreview.com\/public-health\/nearly-60-of-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-in-israel-fully-vaccinated-study-finds.html\">hospitalizations<\/a>\u00a0among the vaccinated, we should be pulling out all the stops in treating this virus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Medical treatment involves balancing risks and benefits.\u00a0<\/strong>When FDA-approved medications are used in appropriate doses for appropriate patients, prescribed by competent physicians, the risks tend to be low, and any benefit should be celebrated. Instead, the medical establishment, media, and regulatory authorities are taking the opposite approach. One has to wonder why.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/covid-19\/why-all-fuss-about-ivermectin\">https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/covid-19\/why-all-fuss-about-ivermectin<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82531\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}