I just saw the news item about the FDA settling a lawsuit brought by three Texas doctors who opposed the FDA’s social media posts as well as an FDA website page entitled “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent Covid-19.” I have highlighted a link to that article which is cited by the NIH article on Ivermectin.
I wrote a blog post in 2021 about the tweets the FDA wrote advising against Ivermectin for Covid-19. I initially doubted they were made by the FDA because the language didn’t sound professional. I guess I was wrong. The FDA will be deleting the social media posts and the FDA web page.
I think the social media posts were unprofessional because of they had a mocking tone. I’m not sure why the FDA should delete the article on their website. I can’t see that it’s very different from the NIH article, which cites it. The NIH tells it like it is. Will they be compelled to retract their article as well based on the idea that they’re interfering with medical practice?
I understand the concept of using drugs off-label. There are psychiatric drugs in that category (the anesthesia drug ketamine being used now for depression, for example). And there are good reasons for allowing off-label uses of some drugs.
However, as one expert points out, it can lead to shortages of the drug for other FDA-approved purposes. One example is Ozempic, the Type II diabetes drug (GLP-1 receptor agonist), which has been prescribed for weight loss so much that it has led to a shortage of it for diabetes. And I just found out that Oprah Winfrey had to leave Weight Watchers because she revealed she’d been taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist.
Incredibly, some have entirely misconstrued the lawsuit judgment. The FDA definitely still does not approve Ivermectin for treating or preventing Covid-19.
Update: I forgot about a blog post mentioning Oprah Winfrey and GLP-1 receptor agonists by Dr. George Dawson (Real Psychiatry) posted on December 19, 2023, “The Ultimate Key Opinion Leader.” Dr. Dawson wrote at length about key opinion leaders in medicine and psychiatry.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 
I don’t know all of the details – but this sounds a bit fishy to me. The FDA has certainly been vindicated at this point. I can recall roughly 5 trials of ivermectin showing that it had no effect on COVID-19 outcomes. On the other hand I did not see the original posts. It is pointless to have a safety and efficacy agency and restrict them from commenting on social media – where most people get their news each day. It seems that the Texas judiciary wants to restrict the free speech of the FDA and turn social media over to potential misinformation spreaders.
LikeLike