Physicians in New York State are using ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 patients. Dan Herbeck with The Buffalo News reports that although obviously Dr. Paul Shields cannot make any claims about the FDA-approved drug for treating COVID-19, the medical director for seven skilled nursing facilities does believe it to be remarkable in that it appears to have “…helped 80 out of 90 of his patients recover at an Elderwood nursing home for COVID-19 patients in Amherst.” TrialSite commends The Buffalo News for reporting on facts during the pandemic. Reports of censorship grow as social network site algorithms immediately trip upon the word “Ivermectin.” Given the drug is FDA approved and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently changed their position on the drug from not recommended except for research to not recommended for or against (suggesting that they are awaiting additional clinical data for a more definitive position and that in the meantime they defer to local physicians and hospitals in conjunction with patient consent in the realm of care), it’s not clear what is behind growing censorship backed by the top social media ventures.
Not a ‘Miracle Drug’ but Part of the Regimen
Explore Further
Fact Checking the Fact Checkers The Case of Ivermectin for Publicly-Subsidized Research
Fact Checking the Fact Checkers: The Case of Ivermectin for Publicly-Subsidized Research
The UK’s Dr. Tess Lawrie Discusses her Ivermectin Meta-Analysis
The UK’s Dr. Tess Lawrie Discusses her Ivermectin Meta-Analysis
Dr. Shields appears pragmatic and a realist, facing the dangers of the pandemic with over 450,000 deaths and over 27 million cases. Dr. Martin declared to the local news, “I am not trying to become the poster boy for Ivermectin. I’m not calling it a miracle drug. But it is part of the regimen of drugs we now use to treat COVID-19 patients.”
Ivermectin Use Spreads in New York State
In the meantime Medina, NY-based Dr. Thomas Madejski also now prescribes Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients. A former president of the New York State Medical Society, Dr. Madejski makes clear he doesn’t’ speak for that organization but he is on the record to Dan Herbeck of The Buffalo News that he has used the drug to treat patients in Erie, Niagara and Orleans County. It was the latter county where TrialSite reported on recent court cases where a judge ordered that a patient continue to receive the drug as a treatment for COVID-19.
In parallel, Dr. Zerline Snyderman, a medical director of the McGuire Group, a group of health care facilities serving Western New York and Long Island, reported that group of multiple skilled nursing facilities has successfully treated patients using the drug at the Amhurst, NY, Harris Hill Nursing Facility, which specializes in COVID-19 care. The doctors interviewed report no adverse events or material side effects. Real world data indicate it could possibly help.
Call to Action: The Buffalo News has been showing leadership in reporting on the topic of Ivermectin. Censored by groups such as Facebook, even the prestigious Associated Press isn’t playing fair—see “Fact Checking the Fact Checkers.” Follow the link to read Mr. Herbeck’s full story.
