22-05-2025
Pa. Rep. aims to make highly debated COVID-19 drug available over-the-counter
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Pennsylvania Representative is looking to make an anti-parasite medication into an over-the-counter drug.
Ivermectin, also known by its brand names 'Soolanra,' 'Sklice' or 'Stromectol,' is sold as an anti-parasite drug that can treat infections caused by roundworms, threadworms and other parasites. Currently, a prescription is needed in order to obtain the drug, something that Rep. Jacob Banta (R-Erie) is looking to change.
Banta argued in his new legislation that Ivermectin is a 'very safe drug that has been used by millions of people worldwide.' The drug won a Nobel Prize in 2015 for its role in treating parasitic diseases, however, Banta also noted that the drug has been explored to treat other illnesses such as COVID-19.
According to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the use of Ivermectin has not been authorized or approved for the prevention of COVID-19 in humans or animals. The administration added that the currently available clinical trial data do not demonstrate that Ivermectin is effective against COVID-19 in humans.
Banta's legislation noted that the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported Ivermectin is among several 'potential drugs explored for its therapeutic and preventative role' in COVID-19. However, in a study from 2024, the NIH noted that Ivermectin 'did not have an effect in reducing the risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19.'
'IVM (Ivermectin) did not increase the risk of PCR negative conversion, LOS, viral clearance, admission to ICU, symptoms resolved, discharge from hospital, hospitalization due to progression or SAEs,' The NIH study reads. 'Subgroup analysis based on different controls showed that IVM did not have an effect on reducing all-cause mortality rates in patients with COVID-19.'
The bill argued that in India, Ivermectin prophylaxis was taken by 76 controls and 41 cases, with it being reported that the drug was associated with a 73% reduction of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers for the following month, however, it is unclear in the legislation where the statistics were reported from.
'Personally, I'd like to report that my Eighty-five-year-old Mother was admitted to the hospital with Covid symptoms and made a complete recovery in just four days of administering Ivermectin in 2020,' Banta wrote.
The Representative ended his legislation by noting that Arkansas and Idaho have already passed legislation for over-the-counter Ivermectin sales. The bill was introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and has now been referred to the Health Committee.
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