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Houston doctor Mary Bowden is offering ivermectin to Texans years after gaining attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Saulo Angelo\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
A Houston doctor who became one of the country’s most controversial voices during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> is now offering to sell ivermectin directly to Texans\u2014while again promoting the drug for use against another viral illness\u2014hantavirus<\/a>.<\/p>\n RELATED: Houston health officials monitoring 2 residents linked to hantavirus outbreak<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Mary\u00a0Bowden shared the post on X Thursday morning, saying she would exclusively sell the ivermectin to Texans for 100 tablets, 12 mg and 18 mg at $85 and $110, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be selling ivermectin for Texans only, no prescription needed\u2026. <\/p>\n – 12mg, 100 count, $85 Made in the USA. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MaryBowdenMD) May 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The announcement came just a day after Bowden shared on X that she believed ivermectin “should work” against hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly disease that has recently resurfaced in public conversation<\/a> following a cruise ship outbreak.<\/p>\n “Ivermectin blocks RNA viruses from entering the nucleus, inhibits viral replication, disrupts the integrity of the viral membrane and can prevent viral replication,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Two of the passengers on the cruise ship\u00a0<\/a>that experienced the hantavirus outbreak are Texas residents, the Department of State Health Services said, adding they are not currently experiencing any symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hantavirus is a RNA virus, and ivermectin should work against it.<\/p>\n Ivermectin blocks RNA viruses from entering the nucleus, inhibits viral replication, disrupts integrity of the viral membrane and can prevent viral replication.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MaryBowdenMD) May 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Doctors and public health experts, however, have pushed back against her claims and the FDA has not approved ivermectin as a treatment for hantavirus<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n This is also not the first time Bowden has faced scrutiny for her claim, but it comes amid recent changes to Texas law surrounding ivermectin access. The FDA states ivermectin tablets are approved “at specific doses to treat some parasitic worms,” along with certain topical uses for conditions like head lice and rosacea.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bowden became one of the country’s most prominent advocates for prescribing ivermectin to patients<\/a> with the virus despite repeated federal warnings that the drug had not been authorized as a COVID treatment.<\/p>\n At the time, Bowden was employed with Houston Methodist and is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Texas Medical Board after she was disciplined for treating patients without authorization. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office joined her fight in mid-February 2026.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n “I will not stand by as Dr. Bowden has her Constitutional rights trampled and ability to serve her patients impeded with an illegal reprimand,\u201d Paxton said in a public statement at the time. “Dr. Bowden has been a champion for health freedom, selflessly served her patients, and acted in full accordance with the law.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In September 2025, Greg Abbott signed House Bill 25 into law <\/a>during the state’s 89th legislative session, allowing pharmacists to dispense ivermectin without a prescription.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, the Texas Medical Board has continued defending its disciplinary action<\/a> against Bowden.\u00a0<\/p>\n “TMB has provided ample justification for disciplining Dr. Bowden for attempting to treat a patient at a hospital in which she did not have privileges,” officials said in their latest statement. “TMB intends to vigorously contest these claims and will stand firm to ensure hospitalized Texans receive care from doctors who are authorized to be on hospital premises.”<\/p>\n In an emailed statement to Chron, Bowden said her new effort to sell ivermectin directly to Texans was not tied to the recent hantavirus concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “I’ve been working on making this happen ever since Texas passed a law making it available to Texans without a prescription,” Bowden explained. “Despite the new law, it\u2019s still very difficult and unnecessarily expensive to obtain.”\u00a0<\/p>\n This hasn’t stopped people from reacting to Bowden’s posts.\u00a0<\/p>\n “How do you still have an active medical license?” one user asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “The grift that keeps on giving,” another person said.\u00a0<\/p>\n I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MaryBowdenMD) May 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Some of Bowden’s supporters however, asked why she would only sell ivermectin to Texans and even pleaded to “help us all if you can,” to which she said simply, “I can’t.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
– 18mg, 100 count, $110<\/p>\n