The facts about ivermectin and COVID-19

A Nobel Prize winner? Or horse dewormer? 

This week:  What is ivermectin? … Is it illegal for phone companies to answer questions about Jan. 6? … Fact-checking the 'Taliban's new arsenal' … PolitiFact readers sound off … Another Bill Gates conspiracy theory, debunked A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    (CDC.gov) A Nobel Prize and a horse dewormer: Explaining the controversy over ivermectin and COVID-19 To prevent or treat COVID-19, would you consider using a drug labeled "for oral use in horses only"?  How about one whose creation, for human beings, won a Nobel Prize? Both drugs are ivermectin.  So perhaps it's no wonder that debate continues to swirl about whether ivermectin, for the coronavirus, is only for crackpots or has its place in the fight against the pandemic.  Even as prescriptions for ivermectin have risen since before the pandemic, and some people pressured hospitals to use it on COVID-19 patients, public health authorities strongly recommend against using ivermectin for COVID-19.  There is no conclusive evidence that it is effective, and it carries physical risks. At the same time, those touting ivermectin aren't wrong about the Nobel Prize or the drug's proven but limited uses for humans.  Two widely shared Sept. 6 Facebook posts illustrate the angst among some ivermectin supporters.  One said: "The creator of Ivermectin was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize for its use in humans. Any journalist who refers to it as 'horse dewormer' is guilty of malpractice."  The other, referring to the American Medical Association, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, claimed: "The safety profile for *prescribed* Ivermectin is excellent. And yet, the AMA, CDC, FDA etc have bastardized and restricted its use, in an effort to tout vaccination as the only prevention/treatment of COVID." In 2015, U.S. parasite biology expert William C. Campbell and Japanese microbiologist Satoshi Omura won a Nobel Prize for their discovery of ivermectin and its use to treat diseases caused by parasites. "The importance of ivermectin for improving the health and well-being of millions of individuals with River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis, primarily in the poorest regions of the world, is immeasurable," the announcement of the award said. River Blindness leads to blindness, and Lymphatic Filariasis causes chronic swelling and leads to conditions such as elephantiasis, the announcement said. But COVID-19 is a different type of disease. COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus, not by parasites.  In the United States, ivermectin is not approved to prevent or treat COVID-19. The FDA says in warning against using it: "For humans, ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. However, the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock." Some limited studies suggested that ivermectin can help treat COVID-19; others show no impact. Overall, many of the studies had small sample sizes and other limitations. Some researchers have called for more study of the drug. (Read our report for links to the studies.) The World Health Organization, in its COVID-19 treatment guidelines, says: "We recommend not to use ivermectin in patients with COVID-19 except in the context of a clinical trial," citing "very low certainty evidence" about the drug. Clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing. — Tom Kertscher Share Tweet Forward Fact-checks of the week: Congress McCarthy on Jan. 6. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said that telecommunications companies would violate federal law and risk "losing their ability to operate in the United States" if they handed over records sought by the Jan. 6 investigation committee. We rated this False. His office has been silent on what law the companies would be breaking. Law professors and a telecommunications lawyer who handled such matters said that there is no law barring companies from turning over information sought through a proper subpoena or warrant, and that companies can't be penalized for complying with a subpoena. Schumer on Afghanistan. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said that among Americans in Afghanistan, "all" who "have wanted to come out have come out." We rated this False. The State Department has acknowledged that there are still "somewhere around 100" American citizens who want to leave Afghanistan. Schumer's office later said that he had misspoken. Jayapal on COVID costs. U.S. Rep. Prima Jayapal, D-Wash., said, "The average hospital stay for a case of COVID-19 costs about $17,064. The vaccine is free." We rated this Mostly True. It's difficult to determine an average cost for a hospital stay for COVID-19. Many individual factors can cause estimates to swing widely. But Jayapal's figure is in line with several credible estimates, and to her bigger point, the vaccine is much cheaper. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. Viral image of 'Taliban's New Arsenal' isn't accurate When the United States ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan, how much in usable military weapons and equipment did it leave behind? A viral image claims that the U.S. left what amounts to the "Taliban's new arsenal." The image lists 19 categories of items ranging from 358,530 assault rifles to 22,174 Humvees to 33 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. "The short answer is that all of the numbers are wrong," said Jonathan Schroden, a military operations analyst at CNA, a safety and security think tank. We rated the claim Mostly False.  The image says the figures come from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which experts say is a gold standard for such counts.  But the figures in the viral image are dated. They are not a count of items now in Afghanistan that were left behind and are usable. Overall, most of the weaponry and equipment were provided over many years to the Afghan forces that opposed the Taliban, while some remained in control of the U.S. military. None of the figures take into account how many items remained in Afghanistan and were usable when the Taliban took control in mid-August. Figures for the Black Hawks and AC-208s also don't take into account how many aircraft were flown out of Afghanistan by pilots during the withdrawal, said Schroden. In the weeks prior to the Taliban's takeover, in what is known as a retrograde operation, some of the materiel was returned to the U.S. or sent to other locations for use by the U.S. military.  — Tom Kertscher  Think you can determine fact from fiction? We invite you to participate in our free online course How to Spot Misinformation Online to learn how to recognize health misinformation on the Internet, with an emphasis on COVID-19 vaccines. This short training will have you feeling more confident finding facts on Facebook and other social media platforms. Plus, special guests Christiane Amanpour and Joan Lunden will share media literacy tips before you put your new skills to the test. Enroll today.  How to Spot Misinformation Online is made possible thanks to Facebook and AARP. Mailbag: 'PolitiFact, you're wrong' In our latest installment of the PolitiFact mailbag, we've collected responses from readers to our latest fact-checks. Here's a sampling. We fact-checked a Facebook post that said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried "suspended gun rights — no due process — just because she says these people were merely 'involved' in January 6." We rated that statement Mostly False. "So they are suspended until the person can show why they shouldn't be suspended? Seems like due process would mean first a hearing, then a suspension," a reader wrote. We fact-checked Biden's statement that al-Qaida is "gone" from Afghanistan and rated it False. A U.N. report in June said that al-Qaida is present in at least 15 Afghan provinces in the range of several dozen to 500 persons. "Less than 100 al-Qaida agents means that his statement is basically true while not being literally true. I don't know how you can call this false," one reader wrote. We wrote about our fact-checks of 10 types of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation swirling online.  A family doctor in Florida sent us this reaction: "I read your article in the Tampa Bay Times on the misinformation on Covid vaccines. It is very informative and entertaining. I have printed it out for some of my patients to help convince them to get the vaccine. The bibliography with the links is fantastic." Read more reader reactions. And send your own reaction to me! My email is at the end of this message. You might see your own comments in our next mailbag installment.  Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  Ted Cruz blames migrants, not mask policies, for Texas' coronavirus problem   Are women disproportionately impacted by voter ID laws?   No, the U.S. government isn't telling farmers to destroy their crops   Fact-checking how Texas ranks for children's health in light of new abortion law   Safer to be unvaccinated against COVID-19? In several ways, that's False Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  Bill Gates calls for the withdrawal of all Covid-19 Vaccines; 'The vaccines are far more dangerous than anyone imagined.' See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, attended one of our events, or communicated with us. Our mailing address is: PolitiFact 801 3rd St S 33701 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Add us to your address book PolitiFact.com Want to change how you receive these emails? 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