DOH to go after illegal ivermectin distributors

The Department of Health (DOH) will “act accordingly” to hold accountable those who illegally distributed the antiparasitic drug ivermectin as COVID-19 medicine, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during the daily media briefing on Monday.

The DOH, however, has limited its action to authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation and asking the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) to investigate the doctors and other medical professionals involved.

Asked whether the DOH will go after Representatives Mike Defensor and Rodante Marcoleta who defied the FDA by openly giving out ivermectin even to people with invalid prescription, Vergeire said: “We will act accordingly according to existing laws that we have, according to identified violations, according to accountable persons.”

Legal action set

The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) is poised to take legal action against fellow doctors, who took part in the indiscriminate distribution of ivermectin in an event in Quezon City organized by Defensor and Marcoleta.

“I consulted our legal team and I’m just waiting, of course, for their response as to what could be the most appropriate thing to do, legally,” Dr. Mario Panaligan, president of PCP, said at a press briefing on Monday.

The organization with over 9,000 member internists also issued a reminder to doctors to uphold ethical clinical practice.

‘Not proven remedies’

“We have to resist being swayed by others despite the absence of enough scientific evidence. Let us also refrain from thinking that we are saving our countrymen from the complications of COVID-19 by giving them medicines that are not proven remedies,” the PCP said.

In the Philippines, ivermectin is registered as an antiparasitic medicine to treat strongyloidiasis, or fluke, and was just recently issued a compassionate permit by the FDA for COVID-19 cases in only five hospitals.

Clinical trials to see whether it is effective and safe for COVID-19 treatment are still on going.

Dr. Regina Berba, pharmacovigilance head of the PCP, said the US FDA last week “categorically” said ivermectin should not be used for COVID-19 patients in the absence of trial results.

But, “at the same time last week, this is what we [saw] in the Philippines, we did mass distribution or at least [in a] certain city in our country … It’s [a] disturbing event, which needs to be addressed,” Berba said.

At the same briefing, Eric Domingo, chief of the FDA, said its regulatory enforcers started investigating Friday’s event, where four members of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens PH dispensed the capsules to about 200 residents using a “prescription” that lacked pertinent details.

Domingo said there could be “lapses or violations” over wrong prescription, as the agency also looked into the source or the compounding pharmacy. INQ