The online social media platform Reddit has a letter in hand signed by two U.S. senators from New Mexico urging curtailment of discussion about the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.
The Oct. 1 letter addressed to the Austin, Texas-headquartered social media platform's CEO Steve Huffman and signed by New Mexico U.S. senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich, as well as Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), referred to an earlier open letter by Reddit moderators. That open letter called for "action to stop the spread of COVID-19 misinformation" on the site, the lawmakers' letter said.
"We urge you to act to remove dangerous medical misinformation from Reddit," the lawmakers' letter, posted to Luján's Facebook page, concluded. "Lives are at stake."
New Mexico U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich also signed letter addressed to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.
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Luján chairs the Subcommittee on Communication, Media and Broadband.
According to the FDA, ivermectin, an anti-parasitc, is known to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergic reactions, dizziness, seizures, coma and death when misused, the lawmakers' letter said. It also cited two instances in New Mexico in which people died after taking ivermectin.
The letter came more than a month after The Verge reported that Reddit, in addition to other social media platforms TikTok and Facebook, are struggling with how to deal with ivermectin misinformation.
"Platforms have updated their policies, added links to authorities like the CDC, and removed millions of posts," The Verge said in its Aug. 27 story. "But as the pandemic continues and misinformation evolves, real solutions — social distancing, masking, and vaccines — remain the same."
At least a portion of the confusion in the largely online conversation appears be about ivermectin's efficacy as a preventative, treatment or cure for COVID-19, as well as when it should be used and by whom. It is commonly used to treat parasitic infections in livestock, but those dosages aren't intended for humans.
A study published by the American Journal of Therapeutics this past summer found with "moderate-certainty" that "large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin."
"Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease," the study said in its conclusions. "The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic globally."
Conversely, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of ivermectin in very specific dosages to treat humans for some parasitic worms, and topically to treat head lice and skin conditions, it is not approved to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19 in humans or animals.
The FDA specifically warns against self-medicating with ivermectin, saying it "has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock."