Anti-parasite drug used on Arkansas jail's inmates for COVID

[DonViejo]

Inmates at a northwest Arkansas jail have been prescribed ivermectin to combat COVID-19, despite warnings from federal health officials that the antiparasitic drug should not be used to treat the coronavirus

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press
August 25, 2021, 8:24 PM
• 4 min read

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Inmates at a northwest Arkansas jail have been prescribed ivermectin to combat COVID-19, despite warnings from federal health officials that the antiparasitic drug should not be used to treat the coronavirus.

Washington County's sheriff confirmed Tuesday night that the jail's health provider had been prescribing the drug. Sheriff Tim Helder didn't say how many inmates at the 710-bed facility had been given ivermectin and defended the health provider the jail uses that has been prescribing the medication.

“Whatever a doctor prescribes, that is not in my bailiwick," Helder told members of the Washington County quorum court, the county's governing body. Helder did not immediately respond to a call from The Associated Press, and a spokesperson for the sheriff's office referred questions to Karas Correctional Health, the jail's health provider.

It's not clear what information inmates who were prescribed the drug have been given about it, including warnings that it isn't approved to treat COVID-19.

more
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/anti-parasite-drug-arkansas-jails-inmates-covid-79649447

[allnews]

1. Is it possible for doctors who practice lunacy lose their license?

If the federal government says no it seems they shouldn’t be able to do this legally. They can’t prescribe drugs not FDA approved.

[janterry]

12. off label use

no, they can't lose their license. I suppose if the patient deteriorated and the MD didn't take other appropriate steps (withheld oxygen or whatever other standard treatment is) - well, that would be a lawsuit.

But MD's prescribe all kinds of things off label all the time. That means, this drug is approved for one specific use. They are using it for something else (off-label). That is legal.

[Mr.Bill]

17. I wouldn't call this off-label,

I would call it off-species.

But then what do I know?

[Sanity Claws]

2. That medical provider should lose his license

and be brought up on charges of poisoning patients.
Is there no end to the stupidity of the Magats?

[Mad_Machine76]

3. RIGHT!

It's not FDA-approved either! Are they being forced to take it?

Now that I'm thinking about it, are they being able to get vaxxed?

[Sanity Claws]

4. What does it mean to be forced?

The person is in jail and is not in a position to get other medical help. He may not even been told what the pill is, just told take this for what you have.

[Mad_Machine76]

8. Shouldn't it be against the law

to be improperly treating patients. If they have worms, that's one thing but if they're being treated for COVID and being given Ivermectin despite it not being FDA approved for that use, shouldn't that be illegal?

[janterry]

10. Doctors commonly prescribe things off label

it's not unusual at all

[madville]

7. It is FDA approved for human use but only for certain parasites

Not approved for treatment of COVID but it is considered safe for human use for the things it is approved for: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ivermectin-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20064397?p=1

[Mad_Machine76]

9. That's what I meant

I'm pretty sure most of these people in the jail aren't dealing with worms

[janterry]

11. are they poisoned?

it's a drug that can be safely administered to humans.

The current studies don't support the use of ivermectin for patients diagnosed with covid. The MD is prescribing it for off-label use. That happens ALL the time.

Should they be practicing evidenced based medicine? Yes. But I can't tell you how often I've seen MD's prescribe things like this.

[Sanity Claws]

15. I don't know

I have heard that people who did take Ivervectim ended up getting medical treatment

[janterry]

16. well, that would be bad

I think (from what I read online) those cases are folks sitting at home, deciding to try it (self-medicating). The MD in the jail or wherever is probably dosing carefully and knows about possible interactions.

I'm not arguing that off label prescribing is a good thing. Just noting that it's super common. Unless there is harm done - the MD in this case is probably fine (again, not a medical professional. But I've worked as a MSW for years - and even done some research. MANY drugs prescribed in psychiatry are prescribed off label. Especially to kids.........).

[lagomorph777]

5. Prosecute the Sheriff and the "health provider" for inmate abuse.

[dsweet]

6. I was curious why this drug

So I searched and found this article in the Journal Nature Flawed ivermectin preprint highlights challenges of COVID drug studies. The gist of it is that a preprint study was widely read and cited, but it was flawed:

...dozens of patient records that seemed to be duplicates, inconsistencies between the raw data and the information in the paper, patients whose records indicate they died before the study’s start date, and numbers that seemed to be too consistent to have occurred by chance.

We had a similar thing with hydroxychloroquine and that didn't pan out either: New England Journal of Medicine, A Randomized Trial of Hydroxychloroquine as Postexposure Prophylaxis for Covid-19.

There are other studies that have similar defects. The Journal article goes on to say that yes, a study of this drug needs to be done, a study in Brazil is ongoing and might be useful. Recruiting subjects for the studies have proven difficult since so many in Latin America already take this particular drug. However, developed countries already have effective treatments and vaccines, so they have little interest in this drug.

[Duncan Grant]

13. An auditor could find out the exact number of prisoners treated with Ivermectin.

I think it’s safe to assume the Ivermectin treatments were billed. One could find out exactly how many inmates were affected and how much it cost the State of Arkansas (or local county/city gov’t) based on the invoices. The medical group will have documents to back up the invoices. If not, oh boy…

(Personally, this fits my criteria for human rights abuses. I hope someone with the power to do something about it agrees with me.)

[sarcasmo]

14. Better Call Saul

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. This doctor is going to be sued and he will lose these lawsuits