Rep. Andy Harris Doubles Down on Prescribing Ivermectin for COVID-19 Despite Extensive Warnings

Fresh off demonstrating to Marylanders just how unfit he is to serve as a physician or a member of Congress, Republican Rep. Andy Harris has doubled down on prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients despite warnings from nearly every major medical association as well as the FDA, CDC, and NIH.

In an interview on WBAL, Harris, who is a practicing anesthesiologist, defended prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19, saying it was “ridiculous to make any issue” of it and calling it “very safe.” He went on to blame the “liberal media” for making “a big deal about people who consult their physicians.”

But physicians and other medical experts have overwhelmingly stated their opposition to rogue doctors like Andy Harris prescribing ivermectin off-label for COVID-19.

The American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists previously issued a joint statement declaring their “strong” opposition to “the ordering, prescribing, or dispensing of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial.”

In their statement they also note that:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA have issued advisories indicating that ivermectin is not authorized or approved for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, and Merck (the manufacturer of the drug) all state there is insufficient evidence to support the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

“Republican Rep. Andy Harris continues to endanger his own constituents and the nation’s pandemic recovery by being one of the leading advocates for prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19 despite extensive warnings against it,” said DCCC spokesperson Abel Iraola. “Marylanders deserve better than a quack doctor who thinks he’s smarter than nearly every major medical and health association in the country.”