'A serious issue': New Mexico health officials suspect two people dead from ivermectin poisoning
Two people in New Mexico are suspected to have died as a result of taking ivermectin, a medicine not proven to treat COVID-19, according to state health officials.
In an update on COVID-19 in the state on Wednesday, acting state Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said two unnamed people in the state died from ivermectin poisoning, one of which was already dealing with a severe case of COVID-19.
"It's a serious issue. We need to watch it," Scrase said.
The confirmation comes weeks after the state suspected one person was fatally poisoned by ivermectin.
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The antiparasitic drug has not been approved for treatment of viral illness such as COVID-19, but has attracted popular advocacy, particularly among skeptics of the approved vaccines, treatments and public health measures such as masking in public, including popular podcaster Joe Rogan. The Food and Drug Administration warned people against taking the medicine.
Scrase has previously expressed concern about pseudoscientific messaging about the drug, which is approved for human and veterinary use against unrelated conditions. The state's poison control center reported last week that calls related to ivermectin had already tripled compared calls in 2020, with a jump in frequency over the past month.
"It is not recommended by the FDA for this indication of treating COVID," Scrase reiterated on Wednesday. Nonetheless, he said some hospitalizations for ivermectin-related toxic reactions involved patients with prescriptions for the drug, which could be a sign of improper dosing.
Veterinary formulations are not approved for human use under any conditions, because the drug is often highly concentrated for animals and the medications include ingredients that are not approved for human use.
Contributing: Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY
Follow Algernon D'Ammassa on Twitter: @AlgernonWrites
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Two people have died of ivermectin poisoning in New Mexico
