I saw a story in the Iowa Capital Dispatch by Robin Opsahl today that there’s a bill in the Iowa legislature which seeks to make the drugs ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine over-the-counter (OTC) in Iowa. It doesn’t actually specify the reason why but it’s probably because some Iowans want the drugs available to treat Covid-19. I think the motivation sounds similar to the bills introduced in March of 2025 which were designed to make it illegal to get mRNA vaccines for Covid-19 in Iowa. They both died in funnel week last year.
The bill was discussed yesterday and, while there were 3 commenters in favor of it, there are several reasons to be suspicious of whether it would be a good thing for Iowans. Both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were studied for evidence of efficacy for Covid-19 and the studies failed to show that.
The FDA has made it clear that it doesn’t recommend either ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine for treatment of Covid-19.
However, the Iowa bill HF 2056 seeks to make both available OTC and require pharmacies not only make it available but protect the pharmacist from legal or criminal liability for any harms that might result from its use.
While you can find news stories saying simply that 4 states (Tennessee, Idaho, Arkansas, and Idaho) have adopted similar laws, there is at least one recent follow up news story indicating that the pharmacists still have some reservations.
A Boise, Idaho pharmacist says he’ll dispense ivermectin to callers—as long as they have a doctor’s note. Most callers don’t have a parasitic infection. The pharmacist points out that, while the Idaho law says he can dispense ivermectin without a prescription, the FDA hasn’t approved it to be used this way. “It’s not designed or packaged for retail sale,” according to the pharmacist. It’s not made for OTC use.
There’s also a hitch when it comes to health insurance coverage for OTC drugs, implying you might have to pay out of pocket. Arkansas and Tennessee pharmacists say that, despite the law change allowing OTC sale of ivermectin in their states, they won’t sell it that way.
I hope their example will be followed by the other states who seem to be going the same way as Iowa. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure there might be plenty of conscientious objectors in Iowa who might slow down the legal push to get either hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin OTC.
Just because lawmakers put in a lot of language in a bill in an effort to persuade pharmacists that they won’t get sued or to jail if they always give the customers what they want doesn’t mean they’ll obey a law based on misinformation and which makes them disobey their principles. I don’t understand how the legislative machinery works but I’m hoping the fate for this bill will be the same as what happened to those from last year.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 