Signs warning against human use of ivermectin are taped to the shelf at Tractor Supply in Sinking Spring, Berks County, Pa.

Signs warning against human use of ivermectin are taped to the shelf at Tractor Supply in Sinking Spring, Berks County, Pa.

Shortly after the pandemic started, a farmer came into one of Ben Hushon’s stores and asked if he had ivermectin in stock.

Hushon was somewhat puzzled by the question. Of course he did. Why wouldn’t he?

“There’s rumors it might be a remedy for COVID,” the farmer said. “So I’m going to buy my bottle now.”

That was the first time Hushon, a partner at The Mill — which runs farm supply stores in York County, Pennsylvania, and central Maryland — heard that people might use ivermectin for something other than treating livestock for parasites. That was about 16 months ago.

The dewormer has recently surged into the national consciousness. Calls to poison control centers have spiked in several states as those infected with coronavirus try to self-medicate. In other words, some believed the rumors.

Concerns over shortages of ivermectin have yet to materialize. Hushon said sales of the drug haven’t noticeably increased at his stores. Keeping it in stock has become a bit more challenging, although that’s true of many products during the pandemic. Hushon has needed to use four suppliers instead of one.

“We have not had to turn anybody away,” he said. “We might have to tell them it’ll be in next week. We also haven’t had any hoarders. We’ve had conversations among the retail store managers. If somebody you don’t really know comes in and wants it, make sure you ask who they are.”

Ivermectin is available as an injectable, pour-on or tablet and has been approved to treat livestock since the late 1970s.

Amos Nolt, a manager at Daniel’s Farm Store in Leola, Pennsylvania, said purchasing ivermectin for his store has been more difficult lately.

“It’s becoming an issue,” Nolt said. “Our distributors that we buy from, the salesman was just here this past week and he said he didn’t have any of the injectable. If we wanted to buy injectable for cattle and swine, it’s not available.”

The Food and Drug Administration has warned against using ivermectin to treat a viral disease such as COVID. It has approval for human use to combat parasitic diseases.

The FDA authored a viral tweet on Aug. 21. It read: “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, ya’ll. Stop it.” That message received more than 68,000 retweets but wasn’t completely effective.

The agency is trying to find ways to convince people to stop using the drug to treat COVID and is enlisting trusted sources such as the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for help.

“Our veterinarians as well as vets and retailers nationwide received a plea from the FDA asking them to help combat misinformation and misuse of the drug,” Ag Department spokesperson Shannon Powers said in an email. “... COVID-19 is a virus spread by person-to-person contact. The best way to protect your farm, your family and your community is to get a vaccine.”

Overdose symptoms for ivermectin include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, seizures, comas and death.

As ivermectin use as a COVID treatment has increased in rural areas, the FDA used its website to emphasize the potential risks.

“One of the FDA’s jobs is to carefully evaluate the scientific data on a drug to be sure that it is both safe and effective for a particular use,” the agency said. “In some instances, it can be highly dangerous to use a medicine for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 that has not been approved or has not received emergency use authorization by the FDA.”

Hushon said he expects his ivermectin supply chain to remain the same over the next 12 months. Whether shortages become a bigger problem going forward is what he called the $100,000 question.

“I think the large livestock operations have that concern,” Hushon said. “The folks that have 50 beef cattle or more... I’ll be honest with you, by us not having run out and not having to allocate, I think we’ve buffered the consumer from that concern.”

For now, there’s enough ivermectin to go around.

When the drug’s usage became a news story, Hushon checked his records for the name of the farmer who came into the store last year. That farmer hadn’t purchased any since. He had the supply he needed.

Health officials are split over the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Ivermectin has been traditionally used as an antiparasitic for livestock and companion animals, but some see it as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

Sheep and goat producers almost always cite worms as the primary health problem affecting their livestock. While there are many practices that can minimize exposure to infectious worm larvae, the only way to treat a clinically parasitized animal is usually with a drug (dewormer).

It’s that time again when internal parasite larva can be prevalent in pastures.

Pennsylvania Ag Secretary Russell Redding discusses the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and urges residents to consider getting vaccinated.

A Lancaster Farming reader expresses her concern for the number of people interested in using Ivermectin to treat COVID.

A Lancaster Farming reader weighs in on the facts regarding ivermectin.

Lancaster Farming's Tom Venesky expresses his frustration with the dialogue around ivermectin and COVID-19.

Jason Guarente is the Mid-Atlantic Horse Editor at Lancaster Farming. He can be reached at jguarente@lancasterfarming.com.

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