Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine Likely To Be Prescribed in Republican Counties, Researchers Disclose
A new study found that hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were more frequently prescribed for COVID-19 treatment in Republican-leaning counties in the U.S.
According to an earlier version of this report, JAMA had published a study on the geographic distribution of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin prescriptions on Friday.
According to Market Watch, Ivermectin is an antiparasitic that’s prescribed for both humans and animals.
Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial medication used in treating lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Both prescription drugs have been proposed as possible COVID-19 countermeasures, but neither has been proven in rigorous clinical trials to benefit people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID.
While there are no definitive clinical data on hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, some believe they are effective treatments or prophylactics for COVID-19.
During the pandemic, ivermectin prescriptions totaled hundreds of thousands, including over 450,000 in August 2021 alone.
Over the course of 2021, ivermectin was marketed by Spotify SPOT, -4.37% podcaster Joe Rogan, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and organizations including the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC).
Aaron Rodgers stated he was taking hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin during an interview in November when he tested positive for the virus.
“There’s never been anything like this,” Michael Barnett, an assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
This study aimed to examine prescribing patterns for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin in 2020, in comparison to county-level voting records from the 2020 presidential election according to Barnett and the other researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan.
According to UnitedHealth Group’s UNH, medical claims data from January 2019 through December 2020 was examined -0.54% OptumLabs.
Afterward, the researchers compared ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine with methotrexate sodium (chemotherapy) and albendazole (a tapeworm treatment). Neither of the control drugs has been suggested as a treatment for COVID-19.
Researchers discovered a higher incidence of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin prescriptions in counties with a higher probability of Republican voters in 2020. These facts raise questions about the influence of personal politics on medical decisions.
“U.S. prescribing of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been influenced by political affiliation,” the researchers continued.
“Because political affiliation should not be a factor in clinical treatment decisions, our findings raise concerns for public trust in a nonpartisan health care system.”
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In June 2020, the Food and Drug Administration removed the emergency-use authorization for hydroxychloroquine, which had been authorized as a COVID-19 drug at the outset of the pandemic.
A number of studies indicated that the drug was ineffective against COVID-19.
It wasn’t until late 2020 that the U.S. began taking notice of ivermectin. Despite the flawed research, a doctor named Dr. Pierre Kory cited it in congressional testimony in December 2020, and the congressional testimony went viral.
Researchers could not determine whether prescribers, patients, or a combination of both were responsible for the increase in prescriptions in these counties in the study.
The upcoming clinical-trial data for ivermectin is unlikely to change prescribing practices, even if the studies from the University of Minnesota and Duke University’s medical school demonstrate that ivermectin is not a viable COVID-19 treatment.
“It may not have that big of an impact,” he said. “The evidence didn’t change hydroxychloroquine.”
