The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) cautioned Saturday, May 1, doctors against prescribing or compounding Ivermectin outside of the five hospitals that have been given permit for the compassionate use of anti-parasitic drug as treatment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The PMA said the current evidence on the use of Ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19 patients is inconclusive as declared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Ivermectin must be prescribed and used within the same hospital and the prescribing doctor must inform the patient of this compassionate use category with unproven end result,” it said in a statement.
“The drug Ivermectin may not be prescribed by any physician outside the designated authorized hospital. Its prescription as a prophylactic medicine against COVID-19 strongly not advised,” it added.
The association said the FDA’s issuance of the permit for the five hospitals allows the limited the use of investigational drugs for life-threatening conditions.
“PMA reiterates its warning that FDA already cautioned that manufacture and dispensing of unregistered drugs would be prosecuted as a violation of the FDA Act of 2009,” he said.
The PMA’s statement was issued a day after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must investigate the alleged “token” prescription reportedly given to people during the distribution of anti-parasitic drug in Quezon City.
The DOF chief said prescriptions must contain the name of the doctor who prescribed the drug, their office address, professional registration number of the physician, professional tax receipt number, and the patient’s information.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/30/duque-fda-must-probe-ivermectin-token-prescriptions/
Anakalusugan partylist Rep. Mike Defensor rushed in defense of doctors who wrote prescriptions for Ivermectin during their “community pan-three” project in Quezon City on Thursday.
“If there was anything wrong with our distribution of this COVID-19 wonder drug ivermectin, we are the ones answerable, not our volunteer doctors and other medical practitioners who just wanted to help our poor people,” he said in a statement.