Efforts grow to stamp out use of parasite drug for COVID-19

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health experts and medical groups are pushing to stamp out the growing use of a decades-old parasite drug to treat COVID-19.  Ivermectin is approved in the U.S. to treat infections from tiny worms and other parasites in humans and some animals like cows and horses. But with COVID-19 infections surging again, more Americans are turning to the drug despite warnings that it has shown little benefit and can cause harmful side effects. Federal officials have seen a surge in prescriptions this summer, along with increasing calls to poison control centers and hospitalizations.