The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public against using the animal parasite drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19 infection at home.
“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, all of you. Stop it, “the agency said on Twitter along with an article explaining why ivermectin shouldn’t be used to treat the coronavirus.
You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, all of you. Stop it. https://t.co/TWb75xYEY4
– US FDA (@US_FDA) August 21, 2021
The article explained that while ivermectin can be prescribed to humans, the drug is intended for certain medical conditions and cannot be taken in high doses.
Ivermectin, which is available over the counter, is for animals such as horses and is used to dewormer them. Additionally, the FDA said the concentration of ivermectin in animals is much different than it is in humans.
“For one thing, veterinary medicines are often highly concentrated because they are used on large animals like horses and cows that can weigh a lot more than we do – a ton or more. Such high doses can be highly toxic to humans, ”the FDA stated.
“Many inactive ingredients found in animal products are not evaluated for use in humans. Or they are found in much larger amounts than those used in humans. In some cases, we do not know how these inactive ingredients affect the absorption of ivermectin in the human body, ”the FDA said.
The agency’s warning comes amid several reports from people hospitalized after using ivermectin on animals to try to treat coronavirus infection.
Mississippi health officials recently warned hospitals of an increase in calls to the state’s poison control center due to people using ivermectin on animals to treat the coronavirus.
