ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A Georgia state lawmaker wants to allow over-the-counter sales of a drug once linked by the world’s biggest podcaster to his COVID-19 treatment process.
House Bill 1089 would allow ivermectin to be legally sold and purchased without a prescription or consultation with a pharmacist or another healthcare professional.
The bill, introduced by state Rep. Karen Mathiak, R-Griffin, would also remove Ivermectin from the state’s list of dangerous drugs. Mathiak is a licensed chiropractor in Griffin.
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Republican state Reps. David Clark of Buford, Leesa Hagan of Lyons and Charlice Byrd of Woodstock co-signed the bill.
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Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug originally developed in the 1980s. It works by paralyzing and killing certain parasites and organisms.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ivermectin tablets are approved to treat people with intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms. Some topical forms of ivermectin are approved to treat external parasites like head lice and for skin conditions such as rosacea.
Some forms of animal ivermectin are approved to prevent heartworm disease and treat certain internal and external parasites in animals.
The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in people or animals, nor has the agency determined ivermectin is safe or effective for that treatment.
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When podcaster Joe Rogan tested positive for COVID on Sept. 1, 2021, he posted an Instagram video saying he felt “very weary” on Saturday and got tested the next day.
“Throughout the night I got fevers, sweats, and I knew what was going on,” he said, adding his treatment cocktail included ivermectin, monoclonal antibodies, Z-pack antibiotics and a vitamin drip for “three days in a row.”
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Several days later, Rogan said he was feeling great.
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