Health Committee approves ivermectin for over-the-counter sales

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

West Virginia may soon join the five states who allow ivermectin to be sold over-the-counter.

Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas all passed legislation late last year allowing the anti-parasite drug which is approved for human and animal use to be sold without a doctor’s prescription. SB42, sponsored by Senator Patricia Rucker, was taken up at the first Senate Health Committee meeting of the new legislative session on Thursday, following the resignation of the previous chair just two days before the session began.

Senator Brian Helton was named Chair of Senate Health earlier this week. Photo by Will Price.

Senator Joey Garcia asked committee counsel if ivermectin was currently a prescription-only medication for humans in West Virginia?

She answered in the affirmative, saying, “It treats parasites. It would be dispensed by the pharmacist but without a prescription.”

“Are there any risks associated with ivermectin?” he asked.

“I couldn’t answer that,” she replied.

Senator Tom Takubo, a pulmonologist, then asked the committee lawyer, “Do you know the genesis of the bill we’re trying to address?”

Senator Tom Takubo is a practicing pulmonologist. Photo by Will Price.

“I’m not sure the exact reason other than I know that some people want access to the medication,” the lawyer said in response. “This would provide an individual to have access to the med without the barrier of a prescription.”

“Is there any limit to the quantity or the dose?” Takubo inquired.

“No,” said the attorney.

Sen. Rucker, a former nurse and the bill’s sponsor, told her fellow senators, “Ivermectin has been used for a very long time and has been used to treat a multitude of illnesses and issues all over the world. The risk of side effects is small and minor.”

During the course of committee discussion, Senator Brian Helton, new Chair of the committee, and Senator Kevin Bartlett both offered that they have used ivermectin (to treat sinus infections and COVID, respectively) with positive results.

Their colleague who practices medicine, Senator Tom Takubo, offered his concerns, saying, “As a general rule it’s a pretty benign drug. My only real concern is when COVID came around, we were in dire straights. We used it when we had scores of people on ventilators. We did everything we could to try and save people and it just didn’t work. Months later, multiple medical studies came out that it didn’t work.”

“My concern is the dose and quantity,” he continued. “There is significant toxicity (in high doses). If (a patient) believes it’s gonna cut their hair loss and they want 20 pills, that’s my concern. Could the pharmacist limit that?”

Garcia also spoke out against the bill, saying, “I’d hate to see somebody hurt when all they have to do is consult with a doctor about it. There are a lot more important things to do. This should not be a priority.”