© Ale-stock.adobe/KJN
Ivermectin tablets
An Ohio judge has reversed a court order that forced a local hospital to treat a Covid-19 patient with the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin.
On Monday, Judge Michael Oster of Butler county issued an order that sided with West Chester Hospital, citing a lack of "convincing evidence" that the drug - used in small doses in humans against external parasites such as headlice, and in larger doses for animals including cows and horses - could significantly improve the patient's condition.
The patient, Jeffrey Smith, was admitted to intensive care on 15 July. He has been on a ventilator since 1 August.
At a hearing on Thursday, Julie Smith, his wife, testified that neither she nor her husband were vaccinated against Covid-19. "We didn't feel confident [the vaccine] had been out long enough."
As Smith's condition deteriorated, his wife reached out to
Fred Wagshul, a physician and founder member of the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes ivermectin as a preventative treatment. According to Oster's order, Wagshul, who does not have medical privileges at West Chester Hospital, prescribed 21 days of the medication without having seen Jeffrey Smith.
Comment: Other fires and explosions that occurred in just the last few months: