Missouri Bill Prevents Doctors Being Disciplined If They Prescribe Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine
States are pushing back after rising doubts, and fears, regarding WHO, FDA, CDC and the Biden administration’s COVID-19 treatment protocols and prohibitions. Emboldened by dozens of studies showing the efficacy of using alternative medications to treat COVID-19, Missouri lawmakers passed legislation that prevents state licensing boards from the egregious practice of disciplining doctors who prescribe ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
Rep. Brenda Kay Shields, R-Mo., sponsored the new bill. Titled HB 2149, the bill prohibits pharmacists from questioning doctors or disputing patients regarding the usage of such drugs and their efficacy. In most states, a pharmacist will not fill a prescription for ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine even if prescribed by a local physician.
The media’s smearing of the efficacy of ivermectin — such as a recent LA Times headline that read: “Definitive study shows ivermectin is utterly useless against COVID-19” — is startling, particularly as evidence showing the opposite is true continues to mount.
Left-leaning media outlets have been criticized for leading crusades to have podcast and radio personalities barred from Twitter and Spotify after testifying from firsthand experience that ivermectin can be helpful. Joe Rogan is a case in point.
The Missouri legislature’s 130-4 vote in the House sends a powerful message. The bill passed both chambers on May 12 and now heads to Gov. Mike Parson’s office to be potentially signed into law.
An excerpt of the bill reads:
“The board shall not deny, revoke, or suspend, or otherwise take any disciplinary action against, a certificate of registration or authority, permit, or license required by this chapter for any person due to the lawful dispensing, distributing, or selling of ivermectin tablets or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets for human use in accordance with prescriber directions.”
The draft also notes: “A pharmacist shall not contact the prescribing physician or the patient to dispute the efficacy of ivermectin tablets or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets for human use unless the physician or patient inquires of the pharmacist about the efficacy of ivermectin tablets or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets.”
Critics of the bill have noted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has resisted approving the drugs. However, many believe the governing bodies have not adequately explained their prohibitions.
In a statement directed to the FDA and other medical governance boards, former Democratic nominee Lindsey Simmons tweeted:
“But, nevertheless, the Missouri legislature has chosen to ‘own the libs’ by issuing a gag order against every pharmacist in this state from offering their medical opinion on taking either one of those medications—even if it could kill their patient.”
Though 22 countries and “thousands of doctors” encourage the use of ivermectin in treating COVID-19, the FDA remains adamantly opposed to its use and claims the drug is “ineffective” and that “large doses can be dangerous.”
The Epoch Times reports the International Journal of Infectious Diseases “analyzed a national federated database of adults that compared ivermectin with the FDA-approved COVID-19 medication, remdesivir.” That large-scale study showed that:
“After using propensity score matching and adjusting for potential confounders, ivermectin was associated with reduced mortality vs. remdesivir. To our knowledge, this is the largest association study of patients with COVID-19, mortality and ivermectin.”
Many hope the “show-me” state will prompt other states to do the same.