Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, attends the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources meeting on March 4, 2025, in Charleston, West Virginia. (Will Price, West Virginia Legislative Photography)
Lawmakers on the West Virginia Senate Health Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that, if passed, would allow pharmacists in the state to sell ivermectin for human use over the counter and without a prescription.
Senate Bill 614 relies on the federal Food and Drug Administration approving the drug, which is commonly prescribed for animals to treat parasites, for human use in more circumstances than are currently permitted.
According to the FDA, different human-specific ivermectin formulations are occasionally prescribed to treat people with parasitic worm-related skin conditions or infections.
While some medical providers have prescribed the drug for off-label uses — meaning uses other than those for which clinical trials have shown it to be safe and effective, and for which the FDA has approved it — the federal government does not recommend it.
Interest in and advocacy for the wider use of ivermectin increased during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when people claimed that the drug could help treat viral infections. To date, the FDA has not accepted any clinical trials or peer-reviewed evidence to support such claims.
The drug became a popular talking point among COVID-19 conspiracists, and as a result of this misinformation, health leaders urged the public not to use the drug for off-label purposes, citing concerns about other medications that could be contraindicated, as well as different formulations that could be safe for animal consumption but not for humans.
Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, told the Senate Health Committee on Tuesday that taking the drug could pose some risk. Takubo, a doctor by trade, went on to say that this is especially true if people are unaware of how it interacts with other medications or if a patient is not being monitored by a health care provider.
“So there are some concerns,” Takubo stated. “Ivermectin, for the most part, is a pretty well-tolerated medication when taken in appropriate doses.”
Takubo stated that the drug’s potential side effects include changes in the heart rhythm, which could result in fatal arrhythmia in severe cases. Takubo also stated that the drug has been shown to potentially increase liver toxicity in patients, particularly when administered at incorrect doses.
Takubo worked in an intensive care unit during COVID-19, specifically “early on, when we really had nothing” to treat the infections. Patients admitted with severe coronavirus infections were given ivermectin. In those cases, however, patients were closely monitored by physicians.
They would be given daily electrocardiograms to allow providers to assess heart function, and doctors would test liver enzymes on a regular basis to ensure the drug was not causing unintended consequences.
“So if you’re taking any medications that also affect heart rhythm or affect liver function, etc, it can potentiate that and cause that,” Takubo told me. “… My concern is that if a patient does not receive adequate education, there may be negative consequences.
SB 614 currently states that pharmacists “shall provide the patient with the FDA-approved patient information sheet on Ivermectin at the time of sale.”
When purchasing over-the-counter medications, however, it is not always necessary to consult with a pharmacist. The bill also states that pharmacists will not be held liable for any adverse interactions caused by someone buying ivermectin from them.
In committee, Sen. Tom Willis, R-Berkeley, proposed an amendment that would have made ivermectin available “behind the counter,” but still without a prescription. That way, he explained, the pharmacist could “have a conversation with the patient” and look for “possible conflicts” caused by other prescribed medications.
Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, stated that, while no one wants anyone to take a medication that is contraindicated with their other medications, the risk of doing so will always exist with over-the-counter drugs. “Look at Tylenol,” she said.
Willis stated that he does not believe Tylenol and ivermectin are comparable in this situation.
“I’m a freemarket-guy, and I’m a big-boy-pants-guy in general, and I want as few restrictions on decisions as possible, but it’s a question of where this lands on the risk continuum,” Willis pointed out.
“So as I would understand it — and again, I’m not an expert — but Tylenol would be lower on the risk continuum than ivermectin when you’re talking about confluence with other drugs.”
Following further discussion, Willis withdrew his amendment because the bill, as it stands, would only be relevant if the FDA took steps to approve the drug and change its labeled use in the first place.
The bill passed the committee by voice vote and will now be sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration before being brought before the full Senate.
