The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reached a compromise to remove social media posts urging individuals not to use ivermectin to treat COVID-19 infections.
The FDA’s agreement comes after doctors filed a lawsuit in 2022, claiming that the agency illegally tried to bar people from using ivermectin.
Plaintiffs lost their case, as courts cited the FDA’s sovereign immunity.
In 2021, the FDA began a campaign urging individuals to avoid using ivermectin as a treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency indicated that the drug is “intended for animals” and even referred to it as “horse paste.”
🚨BREAKING:
FDA loses its war on ivermectin and agrees to remove all social media posts and consumer directives regarding ivermectin and COVID, including its most popular tweet in FDA history.This landmark case sets an important precedent in limiting FDA overreach into the… pic.twitter.com/HWYkkZLpoJ
— Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MdBreathe) March 22, 2024
Decades before COVID-19 impacted the U.S., ivermectin was regularly administered to humans, according to One America News (OAN).
After a recent ruling, the FDA has now agreed to remove social media posts advocating against using ivermectin.
In a statement to Newsweek, the FDA said, “The agency has chosen to resolve this lawsuit rather than continuing to litigate over statements that are between two and nearly four years old.”
“FDA has not admitted to any violation of law or any wrongdoing, disagrees with the plaintiff’s allegation that the agency exceeded its authority in issuing the statements challenged in the lawsuit, and stands by its authority to communicate with the public regarding the products it regulates,” the agency added.
The issue of ivermectin became controversial when famed podcaster Joe Rogan slammed CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta for criticizing his use of the drug, which the left-leaning outlet referred to as a “horse dewormer.”
“I can afford people medicine,” Rogan told the CNN official in 2021. “This is ridiculous. It’s just a lie.”
Newsweek pointed out that ivermectin has been used in animals and humans. For people, a topical is used to treat issues dealing with lice and rosacea. Tablet forms of the drug are used for parasites, intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis.
While reacting to the news, independent presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X, formerly known on Twitter, “Ivermectin is not an exceptional case. The FDA is biased against many low-cost, generic, and/or natural therapies with low profit potential. Could it be because half its funding comes from Big Pharma?”
Ivermectin is not an exceptional case. The FDA is biased against many low-cost, generic, and/or natural therapies with low profit potential. Could it be because half its funding comes from Big Pharma? https://t.co/LxpqLuvb6A
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) March 22, 2024
