BUSINESS INSIDER – Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul claimed that researchers won’t study the toxic livestock-deworming drug ivermectin as a potential COVID treatment because of their dislike for former President Donald Trump.
The Cincinnati Enquirer first reported on the remarks Paul made at a town hall event for 60 people held at the Cold Spring City Council chambers on August 27.
Paul said, per the Cincinnati Enquirer:
“The hatred for Trump deranged these people so much that they’re unwilling to objectively study it.
“So someone like me that’s in the middle on it, I can’t tell you because they will not study ivermectin. They will not study hydroxychloroquine without the taint of their hatred for Donald Trump.”
“The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also released a health advisory last week, cautioning that people could become severely ill from self-medicating with ivermectin because an overdose can cause a coma, seizures, and death.”
Paul told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he does not know if ivermectin works but that he will “keep an open mind.”
Trump has not pushed ivermectin but has continually advocated for using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID. Both drugs, however, have not been shown to be effective in preventing or curing COVID-19 infections, and US health authorities have warned people against using them.
Scientists are studying ivermectin as a coronavirus treatment, and previously investigated hydroxychloroquine as well.
In the US, the National Institutes of Health is conducting a large, late-stage trial to see whether ivermectin can help people with mild or moderate COVID-19 cases feel better more quickly.
The University of Oxford’s PRINCIPLE trial is also studying ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration urged people not to self-medicate with ivermectin because it is intended for horses and other livestock … READ MORE.
