Three doctors recently won an important legal case after a lawsuit that started because of a 2021 health warning from the FDA. The FDA’s message, which became popular online, told people not to use ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The most memorable part of the warning said, “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.” 

National medical groups and regulators backed the FDA’s warnings. Pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions, insurance companies wouldn’t cover it, and doctors who prescribed the medicine risked losing their licenses. 

The FDA’s public campaign didn’t tell people that humans have used Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medicine, for years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors gave ivermectin to tens of thousands of patients and found it affordable and effective. 

Ivermectin is known by most as a livestock dewormer. It’s commonly used in humans for head lice, scabies, and worm infections. Many physicians, if given a choice, would have prescribed the medication to treat COVID in its early stages.  

The FDA took that option away from doctors and patients, even after other treatments failed. Patients died despite this effective treatment’s easy availability. 

Department of Justice trial lawyer Isaac Belfer admitted that the doctors’ court win was a big setback for the government. He was caught on camera saying that the government misused its power during its campaign against using ivermectin to treat COVID-19. 

Belfer said the agency overstepped its authority. He said doctors should make the decision about which drugs people should or shouldn’t take, not the FDA, which doesn’t have the right to practice medicine. He thinks the FDA will be more careful in the future.  

As a result of the lawsuit, the FDA had to delete its social media posts that warned against using ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Even though the FDA took down its warnings, it didn’t change its rules or advice. Since major medical organizations still trust the FDA’s guidance on drug use, pharmacies continue to refuse to provide ivermectin, and doctors can still get in trouble for prescribing it. 

The three doctors who brought the lawsuit against the FDA say they believe the government tried to stop doctors from using ivermectin so they could approve the experimental COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA could only give the vaccine emergency approval if no other medicines could treat COVID-19. 

Drs. Apter and Bowden told Project Veritas that stopping the use of ivermectin led to a longer pandemic and possibly millions of extra COVID-19 deaths. Apter said there may have been a million unnecessary COVID deaths in the U.S. due to the public health agency blocking effective early treatments. Bowden added that the pandemic might have been stopped sooner if more people had access to early treatments like ivermectin, monoclonal antibodies, and hydroxychloroquine. 

The three doctors are facing professional backlash for using ivermectin to treat their patients during the pandemic. Marik had to step down from his role at Eastern Virginia Medical School. 

 Dr. Talley Bowden had to give up her privileges at Houston Methodist Hospital. Bowden said she is facing issues with the medical board because she tried to help a patient get ivermectin. 

Apter was referred to the Washington Medical Commission and Arizona Medical Board for possible disciplinary actions. Apter mentioned that medical licensing boards are still targeting him because he prescribed ivermectin for COVID. He notes his patients had no complaints, and the drug helped them recover from COVID. 

Dr. Bowden believes the fight against government overreach was worth it because it has allowed doctors to better protect their patients. She thinks the case set a new example, showing that the FDA’s reputation has been damaged and that the public might take the FDA less seriously in the future.  

The doctors proved in court that the FDA shouldn’t decide what medicines patients can take. Bowden thinks this should prevent the FDA from making bold and risky decisions about what patients can or cannot do in the future. 

It’s not clear how many COVID patients lost their lives because the FDA decided to demonize a legitimate treatment option. Then-president Donald Trump still faces mockery for his comments about the drug, and doctors who attempted to help their patients with ivermectin still struggle with the consequences of their decisions. 

With big pharmaceutical companies ready to profit from health emergencies, it’s hard to believe the government will stay out of doctors’ decisions. The same people who argue that the government shouldn’t interfere in a woman’s choice about abortion are quick to step in when a doctor chooses a treatment that doesn’t make money for them.