On Oct. 14, the Republican attorney general in Nebraska addressed the controversy, issuing a nearly 50-page legal opinion arguing that doctors who consider the “off-label” use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID are acting within the parameters of their state medical licenses, as long as the physician obtains appropriate informed consent from a patient.
Some patients have filed lawsuits to obtain ivermectin, with mixed success. A patient in Illinois was denied. But other hospitals, including one in Ohio, have been forced to administer the drug against the objections of their physicians.
Even as they gain powerful political supporters, some ivermectin fans say they’re now avoiding the health care system — because they’ve lost faith in it.
Lesa Berry, of Richmond, Va., had a friend who died earlier this year of COVID. The doctors refused to use ivermectin, despite requests from Ms. Berry and the patient’s daughter.
They know better now, she said.
“My first attempt would have been to keep her out of the hospital,” Ms. Berry said. “Because right now when you go to the hospital, they only give you what’s on the CDC protocol.”
Ms. Berry and her husband have purchased their own supply of ivermectin, which they keep at home.
This story is from a partnership that includes NPR, Nashville Public Radio and KHN. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.