FDA’s VAERS Shows 70 deaths with Ivermectin since 1996. Compare that to the 3,882 deaths associated with Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol

Dr. Ben Carson: FDA Violated Law with Relentless Crusade Against Ivermectin

"In display of insatiable arrogance, FDA refused to be satisfied with authority over market entry and labeling, & instead tried to commandeer the role of doctors in treating their patients as well" pic.twitter.com/BBN335N4uN

— Asher Media 🇺🇲 (@AsherPostsUSA) July 19, 2022

Is Ivermectin Safe? 

Ivermectin is known to be safe. 

For perspective, the FDA’s Adverse Events Reporting System shows 70 deaths sith Ivermectin since 1996.  Compare that to the 3,882 deaths associated with Acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in the drug, Tylenol during this very same period.  The FDA has the authority to approve drugs like Ivermectin that can first enter the market in the United States.  That much is true.  They get to decide what labeling they will use.  Doctors can then prescribe those drugs however they think necessary, including for “off-label” uses that differ from what the FDA originally approved.  The FDA has openly acknowledged that the off-label use of approved drugs is not illegal but a necessary and important part of the practice of medicine.  For example, an estimated 21% of all prescriptions are for off-label use here in the United States, and that number jumps to 32.6% in adult intensive care units. 

So now let’s shift back to the OpEd.  

According to Dr. Ben Carson and Mr. Gray, the FDA’s actions violate both fundamental ethics and the law.  But why?  According to these two gentlemen, Congress was explicit in the Food, Drugs, and Cosmetic Act that the FDA was not to interfere in the practice of medicine which includes prescribing drugs off-label.  However, the FDA has relentlessly publicly bashed what has been a solid anti-parasitic drug because it was used by hundreds, if not thousands, of doctors, across the country during the pandemic.  Moreover, the FDA pressured the umbrella boards and licensing organizations which in turn pressured their members on a state-by-state basis to avoid the drug.  And so in the eyes of the public, this was clearly interpreted by many Americans as banning the use of the drug, which wasn’t and cannot be the case here.  The agency displayed insatiable arrogance.

“In a display of insatiable arrogance, the FDA has refused to be satisfied with its authority over market entry and labeling, and instead tried to commandeer the role of doctors in treating their patients as well.”  Dr. Ben Carson & Boyden Gray Op-Ed.