Some Iowa farm store customers seeking unauthorized animal deworming drug ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment
Hannah Rodriguez
People are visiting some Iowa farm supply stores to buy a deworming drug for horses and other livestock that some conservative political leaders and commentators tout as an alternative to the COVID-19 vaccine —even though experts say it can be dangerous to humans.
Cases of poisoning involving the drug, ivermectin, have been reported in the state, though the Iowa Poison Control Center said the number is not unusual.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Aug. 18 against using ivermectin to treat COVID-19 after receiving reports from around the country about poisonings from its use in humans.
"You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it," the FDA tweeted.
It says an ivermectin overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, an allergic reaction such as itching or hives, seizures, dizziness, problems with balance, coma and potentially death.
More:Fact check: Ivermectin is not a proven treatment for COVID-19
Madeline Handsaker, team lead at Tractor Supply Co. in Ankeny, said she's noticed an increase in ivermectin sales over last month. Handsaker said the store sells three types of ivermectin for animal usage: an injectable and a paste for horses and an injectable specifically for sheep and hogs.
"The paste has been the big one that skyrocketed," Handsaker said. "I used to rarely sell that stuff. Then I had people ordering like 30 boxes at a time."
Hansaker said the Tennessee-based company's corporate offices sent the Ankeny store signage to post near the ivermectin display that indicates proper usage of the drug, along with a letter instructing employees how to communicate with customers that it should not be used for treating COVID-19.
"When people order it or they come in and ask for it, they tend to have a skittishness like they know that they're not using it for animals," Handsaker said. "So, most of us are like 'Well what kind of animal are you using it for?' because most people that have livestock that come in know what they're getting when they come in here."
After employees explain that Tractor Supply Co. sells ivermectin intended for animal usage, most customers simply leave without purchasing the drug, she said.
"If you don't know how to take it and if you're using it for you... that's a 2,000-pound animal versus 180-pound person," she said. "You could kill yourself and that's the last thing I want to see, is one of my customers get hurt."
Rachel Swaffer, store manager at Orscheln Farm & Home in Perry, said she's seen some customers come in asking for ivermectin, but "not as much as I'd expect."
The store, she said, also put up a notice with disclaimers about using the animal medication for humans.
Swaffer said one woman purchased ivermectin after store employees informed her about its dangers.
"She did go ahead and purchase it and basically said she didn't care what the FDA had to say and it was perfectly fine for human consumption," Swaffer said. "So she did go ahead and buy it even though she was expressly warned that that was not a wise decision."
Some poisonings reported in Iowa
Grant Houselog, a pharmacist and assistant director of the Iowa Poison Control Center, said there have been a handful of cases of people trying to use it for COVID-19 this year, but that there are some because of mishandling or other problems every year.
" I wouldn't say an uptick but we've certainly had some cases reported," Houselog said. "It's important people realize ivermectrin has a purpose medically, but using these types of things for other unintended purposes is not recommended."
The center's hotline is staffed around the clock at 1-800-222-1222.
Officials with the Polk County Health Department said they have not heard of anyone getting sick from using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, and hope it stays that way.
"If you’re not a horse or a cow, please don’t take it,” department spokesperson Nola Aigner Davis said.
The Iowa Department of Public Health could not immediately be reached for comment.
CNN's Chris Cillizza reported Wednesday that Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, has been promoting use of the drug for COVID-19 cases since 2020, and was suspended from YouTube for a week in June after posting a video of remarks he made at the Milwaukee Press Club promoting it.
Johnson tweeted Aug. 20 in praise of Dr. Pierre Kory, president and CEO of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, who has supported ivermectin as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccines.
The Washington Post reported Fox News host Laura Ingraham also has promoted ivermectin.
Nature wrote this month that a study summarizing results of a clinical trial showing ivermectin was effective against the coronavirus was withdrawn after researchers found numerous flaws in the data and conclusions. It said the publisher of the paper, Research Square, has launched a formal investigation.
In addition, a study at the University of Oxford testing ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 found "insufficient evidence to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19," the National Institutes of Health said.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started almost 18 months ago, a number of unconventional and unapproved treatments for the disease have emerged, some with hazardous consequences for their users.
Hannah Rodriguez covers retail for the Register. Reach her at herodriguez@registermedia.com or on Twitter @byherodriguez.