Conservative judges revive case on FDA’s “you are not a horse” ivermectin posts

Enlarge / Tablets of ivermectin. (credit: Getty | Nurphoto)

A panel of conservative judges has revived a lawsuit over the Food and Drug Administration's statements about the anti-parasitic and de-worming drug ivermectin—statements meant to clarify that the drug is not effective against COVID-19 and that formulations for animals, including livestock, are not safe for use in humans.

After the FDA received reports of people being hospitalized from taking livestock ivermectin, one of the agency's particularly viral posts began: "You are not a horse."

The lawsuit over the posts comes from three doctors, all of whom have faced charges and/or discipline from their respective state medical boards and employers over the ivermectin prescribing. The disgraced trio argue that the FDA's statements interfered with their ability to prescribe the antiparasitic drug to COVID-19 patients—including some patients the doctors had never actually examined, according to allegations by state medical boards.