UPDATE:
Gov. Brad Little signed the bill into law Monday afternoon, which takes effect immediately.
ORIGINAL STORY:
State lawmakers want Idahoans to be able to buy the anti-parasitic drug, ivermectin, over the counter without a prescription and without consultation from a doctor.
Pharmacists could choose whether or not to dispense the medication under the proposal.
Senate Bill 1211 would require the drug to be offered in doses appropriate for humans. Ivermectin is commonly used to treat parasites in horses, along with other diseases in foreign countries.
Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld (R-Twin Falls) said she’s taken the drug for years ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I still, to this day, if I get a cold I take ivermectin,” Zuiderveld said.
COVID-19 skeptics often cited the drug as both a treatment and preventative medication for the virus during the pandemic.
The vast consensus of medical doctors is that there’s no evidence ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19.
Opponents point to the fact the drug has not received approval from the FDA for such treatments.
“By doing what we’re about to do without data, facts or science that support what we’re about to do if we pass this bill, we’re going to put people at risk who don’t realize they’re being put at risk,” said Assistant Senate Democratic Leader James Ruchti (D-Pocatello).
Poison control centers and hospital emergency departments saw an uptick in calls and visits from people who took too much of the drug during the pandemic.
“The reason why we had over dosage was totalitarian portions of governments throughout the Republic restricted human ivermectin and pulled that away from the population,” said Sen. Joshua Kohl (R-Twin Falls), noting that wouldn’t happen with over the counter drugs.
Despite the potential issues, Sen. Carl Bjerke (R-Coeur d’Alene) said the decision to take the drug should be up to individuals.
“I’m willing to throw caution to the wind, so to speak – give myself an opportunity and the constituents I serve the opportunity to look after their own health,” Bjerke said.
The House passed the bill nearly unanimously Wednesday afternoon.
Assistant Democratic Leader Steve Berch (D-Boise) was the lone no vote.
Berch said the decision to allow a drug to be dispensed over the counter should be made by professionals, not a legislature where none of its members are physicians or pharmacists.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a similar bill into law late last month, with several other state legislatures considering the same idea.
Gov. Brad Little will have five days from when it reaches his desk to sign, veto or let the bill pass into law without his signature.
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