Ivermectin proponent Mark Steffen's letter to Kansas hospitals calls off-label drugs 'standard of care'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Ivermectin-supporting anesthesiologist and politician Sen. Mark Steffen told health care providers last week that he considers early treatment with off-label drugs to be the "standard of care" for COVID-19.
"The standard of care is early treatment with FDA-approved medications regardless of their labelled uses," Steffen wrote in a March 31 letter addressed to health care providers on his official Senate office letterhead. "Delays in institution of these treatments are no longer acceptable.
"The Healthcare Provider has a legal duty to ensure facilitation of treatment as expeditiously as possible. Delayed treatment worsens outcomes."
Steffen has promoted ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 wonder drugs, despite mounting evidence to the contrary from reputable studies. He said in a Facebook post that he sent the letter to "over 250 Kansas hospitals, clinics, and government agencies."
He has admitted to prescribing ivermectin and to being under investigation by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts in connection to his public comments on COVID-19. Steffen has been accused of advocating for legislation that could personally benefit him because a provision of an off-label drug bill would effectively preempt health board investigations related to the pandemic.
"There is no reason to think that prescribing problems will arise from pharmacist or Board of Healing Arts interference," Steffen wrote. "In consultation with the legal community, indications are that 'failure to treat' will now be considered 'wonton disregard.' As such, any perceived statutory immunity will be rendered invalid."
Steffen suggesting that ivermectin should be the standard of care for COVID-19 is notable because physicians and prescribers are bound by professional standards of care.
Before issuing any discipline, the board of healing arts would have to show the standard of care was violated. A legal opinion on ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine from Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, declined to weigh in on whether prescribing the drugs would violated the standard of care.
The letter was lauded by Peter McCullough, a physician who has been accused of spreading misinformation on the pandemic to his large national following. McCullough, who spoke at Steffen's so-called early treatment symposium, called the Kansas politician an "American hero" who is "demonstrating leadership and progress."
More: Doctor fired for spreading COVID misinformation finds supportive crowd in Bartlesville
Evidence does not support ivermectin, HCQ
Despite Steffen's claims, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and other health authorities have warned against using the drugs for COVID-19. Medical and public health experts say evidence shows no benefit from ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine.
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug that is commonly used in livestock and is readily available in veterinary form. It is also approved for human use. Hydroxychloroquine, sometimes abbreviated as HCQ, is a malaria drug that is also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Steffen has previously claimed that ivermectin reduces hospitalizations and death by 85%.
More: Fact check: Ivermectin is not a proven treatment for COVID-19
"Ivermectin, you have to understand that those studies that did show benefit, most of those studies have been retracted for falsifying data," infectious disease specialist Dana Hawkinson of The University of Kansas Health System has previously said. "Those authors have been punished for that.
"When you actually do the review and the analysis of the other articles and research articles that don't have those biases, such as, again, falsifying data, misrepresenting data, there actually shows no benefit for ivermectin. And so I think it is important to understand that, you know, we try to continue to promote the FDA, CDC, World Health Organization and NIH recommended therapeutics because they have those trials. They show benefit."
Buying veterinary ivermectin formulations intended for horses, cattle and other animals "is not a very smart thing to do," Juergen Richt, the director of the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases at Kansas State University, previously said.
"The best way to protect yourself is using a safe and efficacious vaccine," Richt said. "I think using instead a drug with no real, clearly shown efficacy in COVID-19 patients — and on top could be poisonous, toxic to you — doesn't make any sense."
Public health bills stalled
Steffen and fellow Republican legislators have pursued several bills rewriting the state's longstanding public health laws in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. The package stalled in the Legislature last week and saw little progress before lawmakers went home for a three-week spring break.
His off-label drug bill HB 2280, which also targets childhood wellness vaccine mandates, has been the most notable of the group. It passed the Senate last month, but with too few votes to override a Gov. Laura Kelly veto. Before it could reach the governor, it would have to pass the House, which has been reluctant to broach the topic and never voted on the bill.
More: Ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine off-label prescription bill passes Kansas Senate in late-night vote
During a Friday evening health conference committee, House Republican negotiators told their Senate GOP counterparts that they were not willing to move forward with the current language. Nevertheless, Steffen's letter, which was dated Thursday, noted the advancement of HB 2280.
The bill would force pharmacists to fill off-label prescription for any FDA-approved drug to treat COVID-19, as long as it isn't a controlled substance. Opponents have said the legislation's language could lead to doctors writing prescriptions for abortion medication, claim they are for COVID-19, and pharmacists would have to fill them.
Opponents contend that the bill is unnecessary because doctors can already prescribe the off-label drugs. Proponents counter that it is hard to find pharmacists willing to fill the prescriptions.
Some Republican politicians have sought protections for doctors who prescribe the drugs. Existing pandemic statutes already grant civil immunity to doctors and pharmacists involved in off-label prescriptions. But supporters of the drugs have demanded more, seeking to preempt investigations by the health board.
Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Sen. Mark Steffen sends pro-ivermectin letter to hospitals
