FDA approves Ivermectin ‘as a way to appease lobbying politicians’ – Belmonte

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte questions FDA for okaying Ivermectin .-INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte decried the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of antiparasitic drug Ivermectin as “a way to appease lobbying politicians.”

READ: FDA grants product registration for ivermectin as ‘anti-nematode drug’

The mayor believes FDA messed up by approving the controversial drug, which some sectors claim is a coronavirus cure.

“Pero wishy-washy sila (But they’re) wishy-washy, if you noticed. There is a very gray stand on their part, like they allow it to be used in certain hospitals, they say there are certain effects, or they should not be used, prescribed, etc, but then, they have just approved it to be manufactured in the Philippines as an anti parasitic drug,” she said.

She told ANC in an interview that “it’s actually a sign that they (FDA) would like to appease the politicians lobbying for it.”

Belmonte went on to explain that even though the FDA disapproved Ivermectin for prophylaxis against COVID-19, it would make the drugs more accessible.

“Rather than just take a strong stance against it and act against its distribution, they were actually, ‘okay let’s just approve it, approve this as a parasitic drug, but yes, there are ways and means for you now to acquire it,’ and I think that was their way of probably just appeasing the politicians,” she explained.

READ: FDA: 6 hospitals now have special permit to use ivermectin

Belmonte, however, said she is not against the drug.

“I am not really acting aggressive against it, [because] it might work,” she pointed out while noting that there are no conclusive results whether the drug is effective against COVID-19 or not.

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