More cancer patients are getting prescriptions for the antiparasitic drug ivermectin after viral online claims. Oncologists and public health experts warn that there is no scientific evidence supporting ivermectin as a cancer treatment.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that prescriptions for ivermectin and similar antiparasitic drugs more than doubled among US cancer patients.
The increase grew after actor Mel Gibson appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He claimed that three friends with stage 4 cancer went into complete remission after taking ivermectin with fenbendazole, another antiparasitic drug.
The podcast segment was viewed tens of millions of times online, leading to a new wave of unverified claims on social media.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only approves ivermectin for treating certain parasitic infections in people. It is also commonly used as a dewormer for livestock. Medical experts stress that claims about its anti-cancer effects come only from early lab studies in animals and cells, not from proven clinical trials in humans.
Oncologists warn that using ivermectin for unapproved purposes can be very dangerous. Dr. Nitin Verma, an oncologist at Kaiser Permanente, said there is no strong clinical evidence that ivermectin is safe or effective for treating cancer in people.
Experts say the biggest risk is delaying proper treatment. When cancer patients try unproven alternative therapies, they often put off or refuse proven treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, which can make their outlook much worse. Taking high or unmonitored doses of these drugs can also cause serious health problems, such as severe nerve damage and seizures.
Some formal clinical trials are happening, including an early study at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center testing ivermectin with immunotherapy. However, these studies are tightly controlled and have not reached any clear conclusions.
The FDA and the American Cancer Society both advise against using ivermectin to treat cancer. Doctors urge patients not to trust health claims they see online and to talk directly with their oncologists about proven treatments and approved clinical trials.
