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Rep. Jill Ford(State of Mississippi)<\/p>\nJACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Bills being introduced this year at the Mississippi State Capitol could mean no longer needing a doctor\u2019s prescription to get Ivermectin. <\/p>\n
The 2026 Legislative Session began this week, and as of Friday, one bill had been introduced to no longer require a prescription, with at least one more bill doing the same thing expected to be filed on Monday. <\/p>\n
That bill is being dropped by Rep. Jill Ford, out of Madison County, who touted the benefits of the drug, which she says should be more easily available.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill protects pharmacists, respects patients\u2019 choice, and ensures Mississippians can access lawful medication without unnecessary government interference,\u201d she said. \u201cDuring COVID, it could have cured a lot of issues, and the government kept it from us.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ford was mulling over two drafts of her proposed legislation on Friday. She said she would probably go with the more defined version, which included requiring the pharmacist to have a valid \u201ccollaborative pharmacy practice agreement\u201d with a doctor or other healthcare provider to take on duties that would be normally outside his or her scope of service. The measure also would require the patient to be at least 18 years old. <\/p>\n
It also would direct the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy to adopt procedures governing the distribution of the drug, including provisions for assessing patient risk, providing patients with fact sheets on the drug, and urging patients to seek follow-up care from a doctor. <\/p>\n
Rep. Jill Ford(State of Mississippi)<\/p>\n
Dr. Andrew Clark, pharmacist and owner of Northtown Pharmacy in Jackson, said his primary concern is distributing medicine to a patient who has not been properly diagnosed, and the drug not being used as it is intended. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe good thing is the pharmacist is involved,\u201d he said. \u201cSudafed is over-the-counter now, but it is kept behind the counter, and you have to show a license to obtain it.\u201d <\/p>\n
According to the Mayo Clinic\u2019s website, Ivermectin is typically used to treat \u201criver blindness… intestinal infection from threadworms… and other kinds of worm infections.\u201d <\/p>\n
Drugs.com states that the most common side effects are difficulty in moving, muscle pain or stiffness, pain in the joints, and swollen, painful, or tender lymph glands. <\/p>\n
If one of the measures is passed, Mississippi would join a growing list of states making the medication available without a prescription. <\/p>\n
As of July 2025, the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation reported four states allow over-the-counter sales of the drug: Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, and Louisiana. Other states also had introduced legislation to do the same. <\/p>\n
In 2025, Rep. Carolyn Crawford, of Harrison County, introduced legislation similar to Ford\u2019s. It died in the House Public Health and Human Services Committee.<\/p>\n
Greg Flynn, spokesman for the Mississippi State Department of Health, said the agency had not yet had a chance to review the bill and could not comment at this time. <\/p>\n
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