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(NEXSTAR) – Ivermectin, the anti-parasitic medication most commonly used as a dewormer in animals, is back in the limelight. This time it has nothing to do with COVID-19. More patients are seeking out the drug in hopes it will help fight their cancer.
A study analyzing electronic medical records from 68 million patients found ivermectin prescriptions for cancer patients more than doubled from January 2025 to July 2025.
Relative interest in ivermectin was highest in cancer patients who were white, male and in the South.
The study attributes the sudden rise in demand, at least in part, to a viral interview on Joe Rogan’s mega-popular podcast that was viewed at least 60 million times. In the January 2025 interview, actor Mel Gibson claimed a combination of ivermectin and benzimidazole (a compound found in anti-parasitics as well as agricultural chemicals) cured multiple cases of cancer in his friends.
Other celebrities have since touted the experimental treatment. Ron Duguay, a former NHL player who is currently dating former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, told ABC News this week that he’s using a high dose of ivermectin as part of his treatment of Stage 4 colon cancer.
Duguay admitted he has also done chemotherapy, but some patients are pursuing ivermectin instead of chemo and other more established cancer treatments.
“More and more, my patients are asking about medications like ivermectin,” Dr. Merry Jennifer Markham told the American Cancer Society. “I’m grateful that they’re asking me questions so we can have an informed conversation.”
It is not approved by the FDA to treat any type of cancer – in people or in animals – and there are no official clinical guidelines recommending it as a course of treatment.
But does it work? There’s not enough proof, doctors say.
“It has not been proven in any kind of confirmatory clinical trial, which is the gold standard of evidence we need to know whether treatment works,” Dr. John Mafi, an associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles told ABC.
There are major risks of taking ivermectin, according to the American Cancer Society. Side effects of large doses include seizures, coma and death. The dose needed to have any effect in humans would actually be considered toxic, Dr. Skyler Johnson at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute told CIDRAP News.
Smaller doses may also negatively impact chemotherapy treatments by making nausea and vomiting worse.
People who claim the medication cured their cancer may be ignoring the effects of other, more proven treatments that were happening concurrently. No clinical trials have been able to isolate the impact of ivermectin on cancer cells in people.
“As an oncologist, I love to jump on new therapies that are proven in scientific studies to have promise for my patients. But you can’t just take a random drug and hope it helps,” Dr. Markham said.
Still, despite the lack of concrete evidence, many states are embracing ivermectin. It’s available without a prescription, over-the-counter, in states like Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and others.
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