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MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker who is actively pushing for the use of ivermectin as treatment for COVID-19 said critics seemed to be only looking for “loopholes” when they questioned the use of plain papers to write on prescription for the drug during a distribution event in Quezon City on Thursday.
Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor defended the ivermectin distribution which he organized with House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, saying the concern on the doctors’ prescription is “immaterial”.
The prescriptions used in the ivermectin distribution were met with criticism, some by doctors and pharmacists, after these were merely written on a blank piece of paper and lacking doctors’ information.
“Para sa akin kasi, immaterial. Diba yung reseta, para malaman mo, sino nagbigay ng reseta, e apat lang naman na doktor yun. Kilala naman ng mga pasyente kung sino yung doktor,” Defensor told reporters. “’Yung reseta mo naman, hindi pwedeng dalhin nang botika dahil wala namang binebentang ivermectin, kung hindi nandun lang, 15 meters away.”
“So para sa akin, parang humahanap sila ng butas na lang. Parang kahapon may mga makikita ka talagang naghahanap sila ng butas kung ano yung makikita nilang mali,” Defensor added.
Defensor said that rather than look for loopholes, critics should instead look at how the drug could be of use during the pandemic.
“Ang dapat nilang tingnan, ano ba yung katamaan nito, na sa gitna ng ating pandemya na namamatay na yung ating kababayan. Nung nagsimula tayo ng committee hearings natin sa Kongreso, 13,000 lang ang namatay, sa ngayon nasa 16,000 na tayo,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved ivermectin for human use, even as compassionate special permits were granted to just a handful of hospitals.
The Department of Health has maintained that the anti-parasitic drug should only be for hospital use.
READ: Defensor, et al. can use loophole to dodge Ivermectin lawsuit – DOJ
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the FDA needs to investigate the prescriptions provided to the ivermectin recipients during the distribution events.
Duque stressed that the law is clear regarding the issuance of prescriptions, which should contain complete details of the issuing physician or medical practitioner.
“Ang atin kasing mga batas ay malinaw. For example, all prescriptions must contain the name of the prescriber, office address, professional registration number, professional tax receipt number. ‘Di pwede ‘yung token prescription lang,” Duque said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.