Chicago hospitals, doctors fight growing demand for ivermectin for COVID

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In Norwood Park, threats of a protest did not materialize. But a spokesperson for Amita Health said they got a lot of calls urging one of their patients to receive the drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

The hospital released a statement saying in part, "Our physicians and clinicians follow the full guidance of the FDA and the CDC in the treatment of COVID-19. And while AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center received numerous phone calls and emails (well into the hundreds) associated with this patient's care we have simply and respectfully noted the concerns shared."

In Hyde Park, ABC has obtained a memo that went out to all UChicago Medicine staff saying, "Effective Immediately, ivermectin will be restricted from prescribing, dispensing and use for inpatients at the University of Chicago Medical Center and UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital."

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug commonly used in animals, and is approved to treat specific types of parasites in humans. It is not approved to treat COVID-19, which is a virus.

"You shouldn't take any drugs that are not indicated for the illness that you have," said Dr. Mark Rosenberg, president of the American College of Emergency Room Physicians. "You should always follow the direction of your family doctor or emergency physician, and not start treating yourself with drugs on your own."

The Journal Nature also reports that one of the initial papers that connected ivermectin to COVID is being investigated and may be flawed. In the meantime, the CDC, FDA, and numerous organizations of healthcare professionals warn ivermectin is not an effective treatment for COVID-19.