Ivermectin, sold in large animal stores, not approved for coronavirus
by: David Charns
Posted: Aug 31, 2021 / 2:00 PM PDT
Updated: Aug 31, 2021 / 2:00 PM PDT
(V&V Tack and Feed / CLASS)
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – At a feed store in Las Vegas, customers are required to provide proof of possession of a horse before selling ivermectin, a drug for large animals that some people believe can cure the coronavirus.
V&V Tack and Feed put a sign next to the product that reads: “Ivermectin is only sold to horse owners. Must show a picture of you and your horse. “
Ivermectin is an anti-parasite medicine used to treat and prevent animals. COVID-19 is a virus, not a parasite.
“COVID-19. We have lived with what sometimes seems like an eternity,” read an article on the FDA website. “Given the number of deaths that have occurred from the disease, it may not come as a surprise some consumers are looking for unconventional treatments that are not approved or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. “
The agency reports multiple hospitalizations of people trying to self-medicate with dosages designed for large animals.
“For one thing, veterinary drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used on large animals such as horses and cows, which can weigh a lot more than we do – a ton or more,” the article says. “Such high doses can be highly toxic to humans.”
Other than not being approved for treatment, there is no evidence that ivermectin treats COVID-19.
Some forms of ivermectin are approved for the treatment of parasites in humans, the FDA reported, but the types available online for animals are not approved. A doctor would prescribe the drug to a human for a parasite infection – and the drug would not be in the form given to horses, warns the FDA.
The serious dangers of ivermectin include neurological disorders, seizures, coma, and death.
Nevada Poison Control can be reached at 800-222-1222. Call 911 in the event of a medical emergency.
