Mainstream media allies abandon FDA amid ivermectin lawsuit

Some news outlets known to be allied with mainstream corporate media appear to be abandoning the FDA amid a lawsuit challenging the agency’s interference with ivermectin dispensation for COVID-19. 

“The FDA Misled the Public About Ivermectin and Should Be Accountable in Court, Argues the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS),” reported Yahoo! News last week from Globe Newswire. Other sites like MarketWatch and Morningstar also carried the story. 

The FDA has repeatedly discouraged the use of ivermectin as an early COVID-19 treatment, harping on the fact that the drug was originally approved as an antiparasitic which is often used on animals. 

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,” tweeted the FDA last year. Reponses show that the tweet had its intended effect. 

The tweet came as a surprise to many because the FDA, which approved the drug in 1966, was fully aware that ivermectin is manufactured as an antiparasitic both for animals and humans.  

Also puzzling was the FDA’s interference in the off-label use of an approved drug. About 20% of all prescriptions are written for off-label use, and the FDA typically leaves it up to physicians to determine its use.  

“From the FDA perspective, once the FDA approves a drug, healthcare providers generally may prescribe the drug for an unapproved use when they judge that it is medically appropriate for their patient,” says the FDA on its website. 

A motion was filed in June against the FDA by Dr. Paul Marik, Dr. Mary Bowden, and Dr. Robert Apter for its statements on ivermectin given the plethora of scientific evidence supporting its use for early COVID-19. 

Now the AAPS has entered the fray with an amicus brief in support of the motion, saying the agency misled the public to believe that medication should not be used off-label. 

“Defendant FDA has improperly exploited misunderstandings about the legality and prevalence of off-label uses of medication, in order to mislead courts, state medical boards, and the public into thinking there is anything improper about off-label prescribing,” AAPS writes in its amicus brief to the federal district court in Galveston. “Not only is off-label prescribing fully proper, legal, and commonplace, but it is also absolutely necessary in order to give effective care to patients.” 

The lawsuit comes amid a growing push to make cheap, effective drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine available for all COVID-19 patients, led by human rights group America’s Frontline Doctors.  

In October 2020, America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS), headed by Dr. Simone Gold, filed a citizen’s petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) available over the counter as a treatment for COVID-19.   

While the human rights group was vilified by mainstream media and many politicians, various states are now following the initiative and passing legislation to make cheaper drugs such as HCQ and ivermectin available as OTC treatments for COVID-19.   

Responses to an America’s Frontline News report detailing the legislative push included the following: 

God Bless you for your great efforts and sacrifices you have made to spread the truth about this disease and treatment for it . My wife and I are in our late 60’s and thanks to your website we were able to find a Dr. to prescribe ivermectin and a local compounding pharmacist to fill it along with a Z pack . We just contracted Covid a few weeks ago . She was first and by the third day of displaying symptoms she was getting really sick. Fever cough and difficulty breathing, headache . After testing positive I gave her the ivermectin and within two hours she was improving. Same or better results for me . We are completely recovered now and I can not tell you how much I appreciate your help!