Ivermectin, a deworming drug, should not be used to treat COVID, health officials say

Internal CDC data showed a 19-fold increase in the use of the unproven and potentially dangerous drug.

Ivermectin, a potentially dangerous and unproven medication to help COVID-19 patients, is being widely dispensed despite warnings, as the nation is in the grips of the delta variant surge. Internal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed by ABC News, estimates a 19-fold increase of the anti-parasite medicine being distributed during the first week of August. That distribution is despite multiple warnings from public health departments given the lack of evidence ivermectin works to treat COVID and the substantial risk of seizures or coma if used incorrectly. Ivermectin is not authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of COVID-19, unlike available medications such as remdesivir, steroids and monoclonal antibodies, because there is not enough evidence the medication works to alleviate the symptoms of COVID-19. After months of warnings of the risks, on Saturday, the FDA warned on social media, "You are not a horse. Stop it with the #Ivermectin. It's not authorized for treating #COVID." The drug can be prescribed to treat parasitic infections in both humans and animals. The veterinary form is manufactured to contain significantly higher doses than those used in people. “This medication is often used to treat parasitic infections in livestock," including horses, Dr. Joshua Nogar, the medical toxicology fellowship director at Northwell Health and an emergency medicine physician, told ABC News.