FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2021
MIDVALE, UT – The Utah Pharmacy Association (UPhA) and the Utah Society of Health-System
Pharmacists at present, agree with the following national organizations, the American Medical
Association (AMA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and American Society of Health-
System Pharmacists (ASHP) opposing the ordering, prescribing, or dispensing of ivermectin to prevent or
treat COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. We also understand that there is a current pandemic related to
COVID-19 and that the related pandemic may be causing shortages of drugs including Ivermectin in the
United States.
Ivermectin is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription medication use to treat
infections caused by internal and external parasites and is not approved to prevent or treat COVID-19.
Ivermectin is also available to treat certain veterinary conditions through medications formulated or
intended for use in animals and should not be used by humans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the FDA have issued advisories indicating that ivermectin is not authorized or
approved for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health, World Health
Organization, and Merck (the manufacturer of the drug) all state there is insufficient evidence to support
the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines on the
Treatment and Management of Patients with COVID-19 also recommend against the use of ivermectin
outside of a clinical trial.
Until the results of clinical trials show efficacy, and this use is endorsed by the FDA, we are urging health
care professionals in their communities to educate and caution patients against the use of ivermectin,
whether intended for human or animals, outside of FDA-approved indications or clinical study.
We acknowledge there is a place for “off-label” prescribing and use, when evidence demonstrates
efficacy and the benefits outweigh the risks. To date, there is no clear benefit to using ivermectin for
prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and the documented harms are concerning. A recent CDC Health
Advisory noted effects including “nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea”. In addition, “Overdoses are associated
with hypotension and neurologic effects such as decreased consciousness, confusion, hallucinations,
seizures, coma, and death.
For more information, we encourage health care providers and patients to consult the FDA’s Consumer
Update, Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19 and the CDC Health Alert
Network Advisory on the Rapid Increase in Ivermectin Prescriptions and Reports of Severe Illness
Associated with Products Containing Ivermectin to Prevent or Treat COVID-19.
We encourage patients to talk to their physicians, and pharmacists, about currently available therapies
authorized or approved for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. The most effective ways to limit
the spread of COVID-19 are to get vaccinated, wear a face mask, stay at least six feet from others in
public places, wash hands frequently, and avoid large crowds of people. Our organizations also strongly
urge eligible unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated.
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