2nd Tri-Cities doctor accused of unprofessional conduct for giving ivermectin for COVID

Another Tri-Cities area doctor has been charged with unprofessional conduct after he prescribed ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19, a use not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Wei-Hsung Lin, who practices in Richland, prescribed ivermectin to several patents in 2021, according to the Washington Medical Commission.

As previously reported, Dr. Michael Kwame Turner of Richland also has been charged with unprofessional conduct for prescribing ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19.

Turner is among four doctors who have filed a lawsuit against the Washington Medical Commission over its policies on COVID-19, including prescribing ivermectin.

The Washington Medical Commission, the state agency that investigates physicians and physician assistants for unprofessional conduct, has adopted a position statement that says the commission relies on the FDA approval of medication for COVID-19 treatment as the standard of care.

As recently as Aug. 16, the FDA reiterated in a social media post that it has not authorized ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19, nor has the agency stated that it is safe or effective for that use.

Merck & Co., the primary U.S. manufacturer of ivermectin has told doctors that it has no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect of ivermectin against COVID-19 and that safety data has been lacking in clinical studies conducted with COVID-19 patients.

Lin works at a Kadlec Regional Medical Center clinic, and Kadlec said in a statement that it is aware of the alleged violation.

“We are fully cooperating with the Washington state Department of Health and will continue to do so throughout their investigation,” Kadlec said in a statement.

5 patients

Among five cases documented by the Washington Medical Commission, Lin prescribed ivermectin to a 69-year-old man during a virtual medical appointment.

The man had been released from the hospital several days before for treatment of a heart condition and was diagnosed with COVID-19 while in the hospital, but had no symptoms.

His wife, who was with him at the virtual appointment with Lin, had developed COVID-19 symptoms.

Lin prescribed ivermectin for the man and doubled the dose so his wife could also take ivermectin, but told her he could not prescribe it to her directly because she was not on record as having a telemedicine appointment, according to the charging document.

The couple’s son later cautioned them not to take the prescription. The couple did their own online research and found warnings about ivermectin for COVID-19 and information about negative side effects for people with heart conditions, according to the charging document.

In another case, a 67-year-old patient made an appointment with Lin with the apparent goal of getting an ivermectin prescription in case he got COVID-19.

Lin discussed the pros and cons of vaccination, but the patient did not want to be vaccinated. The patient did not fill the prescription for ivermectin that Lin gave him because his health insurance would not pay for it.

In another case, a patient, who was 37, made an appointment for symptoms that included a rash, body pain, weight loss and fatigue that she said started after her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Lin prescribed ivermectin, even though the association between her symptoms and the vaccine were not certain and there was no record that other causes for her symptoms were considered, according to the charging document.

In a fifth case, he prescribed ivermectin to a 71-year-old woman with asthma who had tested positive for COVID-19 a day earlier in a hospital emergency room.

Lin told her ivermectin was an effective therapy and prescribed the drug without documenting that he discussed risks, benefits or alternatives to ivermectin, according to the charging to document.

The patient took ivermectin for four days and then was admitted to the hospital with severe COVID-19 infection and a form of respiratory failure due to pneumonia. She was released from the hospital about four days later.

In all five cases covered by the charging document, Lin did not record that he obtained appropriate informed consent for treatment with ivermectin from the patients, according to the charging document.

Informed consent would have included a discussion of possible alternative treatments and a discussion of the recognized risks, potential complications and anticipated benefits, including providing evidence supporting the use of ivermectin for a purpose for which it was not approved by the FDA, according to the charging document.

Yakima doctor fined

The Washington Medical Commission has restricted the license of a Yakima doctor, Richard S. Wilkinson, who was one of the four doctors who filed a lawsuit against the Washington Medical Commission over its stand on COVID-19.

It found that Wilkinson failed to meet the standard of care by prescribing ivermectin to seven patients for COVID-19 infections without documenting a sufficient rationale for prescribing the medication and without telling patients it was not approved by the FDA for COVID-19 treatment or prevention.

The commission also found that Wilkinson misrepresenting information about COVID-19, wearing masks and vaccines on his web-based blog.

The commission put his license to practice medicine on probation for five years. It also required him to pay a fine of $15,000, undergo a clinical competency assessment and complete continuing education, including on informed consent and medical decision-making

He has the option of filing an appeal in court.