State Rep. Jake Banta of Erie County and six fellow Republican lawmakers want to make ivermectin, the anti-parasitic drug that became a popular alternative treatment against COVID-19 among vaccine skeptics, available over the counter.
Banta’s H.B. 1494 was referred to the House Health Committee May 21. It mirrors a similar bill proposed in the upper chamber by state Sen. Doug Mastriano. Both bills were introduced in April.
Fact check: No, FDA did not ‘quietly approve’ ivermectin as COVID-19 treatment
Banta called the drug “cheap” and “safe” in his cosponsorship memo and claimed it cured his mother of COVID-19 within four days of taking it in 2020.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Jake Banta, R-4th Dist., shakes hands with guests during a meeting Dec. 2, 2023, at Banta’s office in North East.
States, not FDA, make ivermectin push
The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and the World Health Organization, however, do not recommend using ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19.
“Ivermectin is a very safe drug that has been used by millions of people worldwide,” Banta wrote. “In 2015 it won a Nobel Prize for its role in treating parasitic diseases.”
The drug is used to treat headlice, scabies, river blindness and has both topical and oral applications.
The Food & Drug Administration has not approved ivermectin for use without a prescription. However, Arkansas, Idaho, and Tennessee have already passed laws making it available over the counter. Lawmakers in other states, including Louisiana, West Virginia and North Carolina, are considering similar legislation to make the drug available without a prescription.
Matthew Rink is a USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania investigative journalist.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Ivermectin without a prescription? GOP lawmakers make push in PA
