Texas bill could make drug Ivermectin available without a prescription amid misuse concerns

SAN ANTONIO – Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas legislators want to expand access to a controversial drug popularized during the coronavirus pandemic.

House Bill 25 could make Ivermectin accessible at Texas pharmacies without a prescription.

Ivermectin is a drug typically used to treat parasites, according to Dr. Bryan Alsip, the Chief Medical Officer for University Health.

“The kinds of parasites you might get from traveling in foreign countries, Strongyloides or Onchocerca, which is river blindness,” Alsip said.

More than 99 percent of people infected with river blindness live in Africa or Yemen, according to the World Health Organization, but people from the U.S. can still get infected while traveling overseas.

Alsip said doctors can use Ivermectin as a treatment for more common parasites in the U.S., such as head lice or scabies.

“It effectively works against the neurologic systems of these parasites and kills them,” Alsip said.

Abbott added an agenda item to expand access to Ivermectin last Wednesday as part of his second special session.

“Texans should have increased access to the benefits of Ivermectin,” Abbott said in a news release.

KSAT reached out to the governor’s office to learn what Abbott believes these benefits to be, and why it became a priority last week, but it did not provide additional information.

Misuse has become a concern with Ivermectin, particularly after it spiked in popularity after claims it could treat COVID-19.

The National Poison Data System reported a 245% jump in exposure cases reported to poison control centers, just between July 2021 and August 2021.

“It really doesn’t have any published data that shows that it’s effective,” Alsip said, “so when people are taking it for unlabeled uses where there’s clearly no benefit, they really are just putting themselves at risk for those side effects.”

Those side effects include nausea, dizziness and skin rash, among others.

“It can cause problems with your neurologic system or your liver,” Alsip said, “and in severe cases, people can have a very severe anaphylactic reaction to the medication.”

Alsip said the risk of side effects is why people should ask their pharmacist questions about any new drug they are taking.

If passed, the bill would require pharmacists to give each patient instructions on the proper use of Ivermectin.

Pharmacists would also be required to send an annual report on the number of Ivermectin doses that they sell each year.

Some states, such as Tennessee and Louisiana, already offer Ivermectin in pharmacies.