Melbourne clinics busted selling Ivermectin as Covid treatment

A drug that’s used to treat parasites in animals has popped up at multiple Melbourne clinics, prompting action from Australia’s medical regulator.

Australia’s medical regulator has been forced to take action against numerous clinics caught advertising a potentially deadly drug for the treatment of Covid-19.

It comes as the Sunday Herald Sun reveals hundreds of unproven drugs including Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine and Epherdra have been detected at the borders since the pandemic began.

Ivermectin – a dewormer used primarily on large animals – has been pushed by anti-vaxxers and conspiracists as a treatment for Covid-19 despite global health experts ruling there is no evidence it is effective or safe.

Shockingly, multiple Australian medical clinics have been caught advertising the drug for Covid-19 purposes, with some people also demanding it from vets and animal feed stores.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration told the Sunday Herald Sun six cease and desist letters have been sent to Australian medical clinics which advertised Ivermectin to treat Covid-19.

Sure Cell, which has clinics in Malvern, Camberwell and Armadale, was issued a letter in September for advertising $85 Ivermectin pills to treat Covid-19.

Ivermectin – a dewormer used primarily on large animals – has been pushed by anti-vaxxers and conspiracists as a treatment for Covid-19.

The TGA would not confirm how many doctors were under investigation for prescribing Ivermectin but that they are actively “considering a very small number of concerns” related to registered practitioners providing scripts for non-evidence based treatments of Covid-19.

Practitioners found in breach of medical codes and guidelines face serious penalties, including suspension or cancellation of their registration.

Australian Border Force figures obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun reveal 611 doses of Ephera, 321 doses of Hydroxychloroquine and 12 doses of Ivermectin were detected at the border from January 2020 to July 31 this year.

Imports of Ivermectin increased ten-fold in July and August this year and pharmacists reported a surge in people with Ivermectin scripts refusing to disclose what they were using it for.

Ivermectin is a generic anti-parasitic medication that has not been proven to treat Covid-19.

Ivermectin gained popularity after being touted as a “miracle cure” for Covid-19 in misinformation campaigns including on Telegram where users shared the details of doctors willing to prescribe it.

Hydroxychloroquine, used to treat malaria, and the herb Epherdra, were previously hyped up.

The worrying demand for Ivermectin led to national supply issues and the TGA in September restricted doctors from prescribing it for anything other than scabies and certain parasitic infections.

The Australian Veterinary Association said it was “extremely concerned” about people self-dosing Ivermectin, especially when it’s been prepared for large animals.

“We have had intermittent reports that veterinarians have had requests from people to dispense Ivermectin however with questioning it becomes apparent quite quickly when it is not intended for animal use and there is not supplied,” AVA’s Dr Cristy Secombe said.

There have been misinformation campaigns about Ivermectin as a “miracle cure” for Covid.

Dr Secombe said people are also trying to buy Ivermectin from livestock feed stores which is extremely dangerous as it’s formulated in much higher concentrations to treat animals far heavier than humans.

They also often contain other drugs that are harmful to humans.

“You should never use medications intended for animals on yourself,” she said.

The ABF said it was determined to keep harmful products from reaching Australia.

“Ongoing detections at the border can have a deterrent effect, which is why the ABF is focused on disrupting the entry of potentially harmful products from entering the community,” a spokeswoman said.