Judge Reverses Order That Forced Hospital To Give COVID Patient Ivermectin

An Ohio judge reversed a previous ruling that ordered a hospital to treat a patient with the controversial drug ivermectin. Last month, Judge Gregory Howard ordered doctors at West Chester Hospital to administer the drug to a patient after they refused to treat him despite having a prescription.

On Monday (September 6), Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster Jr. ruled that the hospital does not have to give the drug to 51-year-old Jeffrey Smith, whose condition is improving after spending several weeks on a ventilator.

"While this court is sympathetic to the plaintiff and understands the idea of wanting to do anything to help her loved one, public policy should not and does not support allowing physicians to try 'any' type of treatment on human beings," Oster wrote in an 11-page ruling.

"Based on the current evidence, ivermectin is not effective as a treatment for COVID-19. … Even Plaintiff's own doctor could not say [that] continued use of ivermectin would benefit [Jeffrey] Smith," Oster continued. "After considering all of the evidence presented in this case, there can be no doubt that the medical and scientific communities do not support the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19."

While ivermectin is mainly used to treat worms in animals, it can also be used to treat parasites in humans. After several fringe groups suggested it could be used to treat COVID-19, interest in the drug spiked, leading to warnings from the Food and Drug Administration. The agency said there is no evidence that the drug is an effective treatment for COVID-19 and warned that using doses meant for animals could result in "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma, and even death."