Fact Checking Claims About Ivermectin From Rep. Paul Gosar

There is no conclusive evidence that the anti-parasitic medication is an effective treatment for COVID.

Published October 5, 2022

A viral tweet from Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar, a frequent purveyor of misinformation, claims that: “Ivermectin worked as a therapeutic treatment for Covid.”

Ivermectin WORKED as a therapeutic treatment for Covid. Anthony Fauci lied about that fact and hundreds of thousands died because of his malpractice and dishonesty.

He belongs in prison.

— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) September 28, 2022

There is currently no conclusive evidence that ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medication, is an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “to treat people with intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms.” However, the FDA has not approved or authorized ivermectin for the prevention of treatment of COVID-19.

As we reported in an earlier fact check, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends against the use of ivermectin for COVID-19.

The NIH website notes that after several clinical trials, testing the “safety and efficacy of ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19,” the panel found that “the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 had no clinical benefit.” The NIH website also states that ivermectin “is not approved by the FDA for the treatment of any viral infection.”

“Additional adequately powered, well-designed, and well-conducted trials are needed to evaluate the effect of ivermectin on COVID-19,” the NIH added.

According to the FDA: “Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing.”

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Khaya Himmelman

Khaya Himmelman is a fact checker for The Dispatch. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and Barnard College.

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